Jermain Defoe has revealed that Sunderland manager David Moyes was "over the moon" after seeing his side go 4-0 up against Crystal Palace after just 45 minutes on Saturday.
The Black Cats boss watched on as Lamine Kone opened the scoring for the away side on Saturday, before Didier Ndong registered his maiden strike for Sunderland to double their advantage over the Eagles.
If that wasn't enough, Defoe then notched a brace as the North East side obliterated Sam Allardyce's charges in a first half no one saw coming and, speaking to the club's official site in the wake of the victory, Defoe explained just how happy the performance had left Moyes.
The veteran striker said: It was the perfect performance so everyone was delighted and the manager was over the moon “ and that was only at the break.
It was important that we went out in the second half and keep a clean sheet, but we did that against a tough team “ they are direct and physical “ so to win a game like that was spot on.�
Palace bombarded Sunderland's penalty box after the interval to no avail, and the result left the home support booing and jeering their charges while the away end celebrated a seemingly unlikely triumph on the road.
Jermain Defoe is on the cusp of iconic status in Sunderland. In his shoes, most would have sulked or walked away by now. What a man.
Defoe praised the travelling Sunderland contingent for their support throughout the contest, and said he was happy to send them back to Wearside delighted.
He continued: The fans always turn up in numbers to support the team so we always want to put in performances like that and give something back, so I hope they enjoyed the long trip home.�
Defoe has now bagged 14 goals in 27 games for Sunderland this season, and has registered over half of the Stadium of Light side's 24 league goals already this campaign.
The 34-year-old expressed his delight at still finding the net on a regular basis even at his age, and added that working hard remained the crux of his game in a bid to help Sunderland stave off relegation from England's top flight once more.
He added: It's important for me to keep scoring, so I need to keep getting into those positions and work hard because if I do I'll always believe that I can score.�
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