Rowell Report: Sunderland's best performance under David Moyes, it had everything

The Bournemouth win may have been more drama and unlikely, especially given we were down to 10 men, and the Hull City victory had a more convincing scoreline.

However, against champions Leicester, Sunderland had to show more than work-rate and desire, they also showed how much they have improve in the last four to five weeks.

With a two-goal cushion the victory should have been seen out comfortably, but that is not the Sunderland way.

They had to concede a goal which meant the remaining minutes were absolutely nailbiting until referee Andre Marriner finally blew for full-time after what seemed an eternity of injury time.

There were a lot of positives for Moyes to take, not least the display of the recalled Papy Djilobodji, who never put a foot wrong and whose distribution from the back was exceptional.

It must have been a tough call for Moyes to leave out John O’Shea, who did nothing wrong at Liverpool, but his decision was fully justified by the Senegal defender’s performance and he got my vote for man of the match.

Victor Anichebe showed what a difference he has made to the team with his hold up play and his ability to bring others into the game and Jordan Pickford again proved his mettle, not least with a crucial save in the final minute of added time and he might not make a more important one all season.

There were no weak links. Some players played better than others, but they all fought for the shirt and the crowd recognised that and responded to it.

Nine points from a possible 12 is a great return, but thanks to the usual abysmal Sunderland start we are still in the bottom three, but confidence and belief is soaring now as everyone can see the vast improvements made recently.