Sunderland have bottled the historical spirit of the Barclays Premier League and it will play key role in the battle for survival according to Jermain Defoe.
The Black Cats produced a gritty and determined performance at Carrow Road last weekend but their quality was also undeniable, with Fabio Borini and Duncan Watmore striking either side of Defoe’s 13th top-flight goal of the season.
And Defoe revealed the team ethic, which has surprised even the most experienced figures in the squad, has and will continue to play a vital part.
“Harps said he’s been in this position at other clubs before but he’s never really seen a dressing room like this,” explained Defoe. “Everyone is together and there is a fighting spirit, so when he said that it was nice to hear.
“You just know going into every game that everyone is going to fight for each other and do whatever it takes to stay up.”
He continued: “With our quality I think we will definitely get the points we need, but the spirit is also so important.
“If you look back at the history of the Premier League and back to when Manchester United were dominating, the players always used to say their spirit was unbelievable and that’s why they won all the trophies because the squad was together.
“That’s what we have here.”
