Lee Cattermole praised the courage and belief displayed by his team-mates during their 3-2 win over Chelsea.
The odds were stacked against the Black Cats from the first whistle as Chelsea raced into a 1-0 lead on Wearside, but their never-say-die attitude was typified by a second-half display that was fuelled by the red and white army.
Wahbi Khazri drew Sunderland level during the opening 45 minutes with a spectacular strike, but the Blues restored their advantage before the break as Nemanja Matic found the net.
However, the drama was far from over with Fabio Borini levelling before Jermain Defoe grabbed his 18th goal of the campaign, and speaking post-match Cattermole explained the ingredients for success.
It was brilliant,” said Cattermole. “It was an important game and there was massive amounts of pressure, but you could see the lads were up for it and they performed really well.
“They showed great courage and belief to come back from going a goal down and despite getting back into the game conceding a sloppy goal before half-time; it was a quiet dressing room and we were disappointed but we still believed and once we scored one we said ‘listen, we can’t let them off this time’."
He continued: “I came off around the 70-minute mark and for the last 20 minutes the lads were solid and they defended really well, so it was great to perform on the pitch but the fans followed us up with that support and that passion.
“You saw that transcend onto the pitch with lads who maybe don’t normally show that emotion, so it was a brilliant day and we’ve given ourselves a good chance.”
