David Moyes has tasked his side with upsetting the applecart and defeating Manchester United this weekend at the Stadium of Light.
The Sunderland boss was left frustrated following successive defeats against Watford and Leicester City, with the Scot now targeting victories against some of the Premier League’s elite sides.
The Black Cats still have to face United, Arsenal and Chelsea, but, crucially, they will also take on Middlesbrough, Hull City and Swansea City – the three teams directly above them – before the end of the season.
And speaking ahead of Saturday's game against the Red Devils, Moyes challenged his side to repeat the feat of seasons gone by.
“The players have been here before and we will keep going, it’s still within our hands to stay up and we’ll make sure that we do that.
“At the moment we’re struggling to find those goals, and I really believed that to give us a real chance we needed to win one of these away games."
He added: “I think the boys have given a good go at it, so there’s no faulting them and I think they’ve done everything they can.
“What I hadn’t put down was a win against a Manchester United – or an Arsenal or Chelsea – in our remaining fixtures, so we now have to win at least one of those games.
“It’s Manchester United next, so let’s see if we can win that one.”