Sunderland's 4-2 win away at fellow strugglers Swansea City this evening was "enormous, enormous, enormous", according to manager Sam Allardyce.
The travelling Black Cats trailed 2-1 to their 10-man hosts at the break, but a Jermain Defoe hat-trick helped to ensure that the three points headed back with them to Wearside.
Allardyce's men remain in the relegation zone, but the gap to them and safety has now been slashed to just one point.
"For us it's an unbelievable win. Today it's an enormous, enormous, enormous three points to give us encouragement and hope going forward," the Sunderland boss told BBC Sport.
"We've made big strides to close the gap but we have to continue to chip away."
Next up for Sunderland on Saturday afternoon is a trip to White Hart Lane, home of Tottenham Hotspur.
