Sunderland ace Stephane Sessegnon admits his goal in the 3-0 Tyne-Wear derby win over Newcastle has helped make up for his red card in the corresponding fixture last season.
Sessegnon set Sunderland on their way to victory with the opening goal in the first half before superb second half goals from Adam Johnson and David Vaughan put the game beyond Newcastle and Sessegnon admitted it was a special win for the club.
Something special
"I've always said that it doesn't matter who scores the goals," added Sessegnon. "Everyone contributed to the win. But to score three goals of such quality is magnificent for everyone.
"To come away 3-0 winners is something special. We learned from the defeat at Chelsea, but we also took confidence from that.
"We kept our concentration during the second half because we knew Newcastle have got quality players. But we kept the ball well and worked so hard. Everyone remained compact and kept our shape.
"We still also tried to remain a threat on the counter-attack and we did that. In the last five minutes, we were able to enjoy the game and we could have even scored a few more.
"The effort from the lads was exceptional."
