Thank God for Defoe - Allardyce

Sam Allardyce hailed Jermain Defoe's qualities after the striker scored twice to hand Sunderland a 3-1 win against Aston Villa on Saturday.

Defoe rescued the hosts with a late brace when the game in the balance as Sunderland moved to within four points of safety in the lower reaches of the Premier League table.

And Allardyce proved grateful for the former England forward - who he has often kept on the bench this season - and his contributions.

"Thank God for Jermain Defoe and his finishing qualities. He turned the game back in our favour," the manager told Sky Sports.

"He relieved the pressure and then got the third. He could have had a hat-trick if it wasn't for the offside flag."

The scoreline was perhaps harsh on fellow strugglers Villa who looked the better side for long periods at the Stadium of Light.

But Allardyce was more interested in the result rather than the manner of the victory, adding: "It's a great relief obviously, it's been such a long time since we've felt the joy of winning.

"Everyone here was so relieved when the third one went in. Until that point we were never that comfortable.

"It wasn't about the performance, it was all about the result. We needed a victory and I thought the second-half performance was better than the first.

"We're still very much in trouble, still a long way to go but getting a win was critical in this fixture."