Vito Mannone has said that Sunderland have been "very solid" at the start of the 2014-15 Premier League season.

The Black Cats beat Stoke City 3-1 yesterday afternoon to secure their first league win of the season, moving them up to 11th in the table.

The goalkeeper told reporters: "You see the difference from last year to this one. I think we are very solid. We have a base and we know where we are going.

"Each game, we have been in the game at least and trying to get as much as possible from the game, even if we didn't play well sometimes.

"That's the big difference, last year, we weren't at the start. We gave it up a little bit and even if we were fighting, we were fighting in the wrong manner. This season the big one, I will say, is organisation."

Sunderland travel to Southampton after the international break.