Victor Anichebe reserved special praise for Sunderland’s fans after they roared the team to their first Premier League win of the campaign on Saturday.
The 28-year-old made his first league start for the Black Cats at Bournemouth, and left the fans chanting his name long into the night as they returned to Wearside with a vital three points.
While the hosts cruised into an early lead, courtesy of Dan Gosling’s close-range finish, grit and brute strength saw Sunderland strike back as Anichebe turned inside the box and rifled the ball beyond a helpless Artur Boruc.
However, just as the Black Cats begun to play with their tails up Steven Pienaar was dismissed for a second bookable offence.
From there, Bournemouth camped deep into Sunderland’s half as they peppered Jordan Pickford’s goal in an attempt to make their man advantage pay.
But Anichebe and co dug deep as they were roared on by the red and white army, and with 74 minutes on the clock the Lads were awarded a penalty after the Nigerian tumbled in the box following Adam Smith’s last-ditch tackle.
Jermain Defoe confidently dispatched the spot kick to ensure the Black Cats secured a huge three points in the Premier League.
Speaking to safc.com, Anichebe lavished praise on the fans and admitted their spirit and passion helped the Lads over the line.
“It was a great performance by the team and more importantly to get the three points,” he said.
“It was really good for us to give the great support that we have something back. It is a long journey for them to travel and hopefully on the way back they had a few drinks and enjoyed the match.
“When we went down to 10 they were like the 11 for us, I kept trying to get them to keep cheering for us and they really pulled us through for the whole game.
“It gets me through games if you are getting that kind of support,” he continued.
“They have shown great faith and you see how long they travel for each game, sometimes I think it is crazy, but it’s just the love they have for the club.”
