Liam Bridcutt has admitted that his Sunderland debut could not have gone better after he helped his side to a 3-0 win over rivals Newcastle United on Saturday.

The 24-year-old midfielder was reunited with former Brighton & Hove Albion manager Gus Poyet on transfer deadline day, and the Uruguayan had no hesitation throwing him into the Tyne-Wear derby at St James' Park.

Goals from Fabio Borini, Adam Johnson and Jack Colback saw the Black Cats complete a season double over the Magpies, and even Bridcutt admits that he was taken aback with how well things went.

Bridcutt told the Sunderland Echo: "If someone tells you, you're going to win 3-0 on your debut against Newcastle, you'll take that! I was straight in at the deep end really.

"Gus has brought me in here to have a great opportunity to play in the Premier League and it doesn't get any better than that - making your debut in a derby and winning 3-0. It was a bit of a shock, but it was a good surprise for me really.

"We got a clean sheet and that was a massive positive for us. We dominated the second half, particularly towards the end of the game. We could have had a few more opportunities to score."

Bridcutt cost Sunderland £3.2m and was one of five January arrivals at the Stadium of Light.