Goals from Ross Stewart, Chris Maguire and Denver Hume were enough for the Black Cats, who sealed a 3-1 win over the Pilgrims.
Stewart opened the scoring in the first half with Maguire’s penalty and Hume’s calm finish then sealing the win after Joe Edwards had levelled the scores.
It was a result that not only ended a seven-game winless run for the club, but also secured their place in the League One play-offs.
Sunderland were largely dominant in the South West but were undoubtedly boost by Jerome Opoku’s second half red card – from which point it was virtually one-way traffic.
But who were the star performers at Home Park, and who has work to do ahead of the final week of the regular season?
Our chief football writer Phil Smith has dished out his marks from the match – see how each player fared in the vital victory.
1. Lee Burge
Nearly stopped the header from Edwards but that would have been a superb intervention. Made one good stop from Mayor before half time in a decent showing. 6 Photo: FRANK REID 2020
2. Conor McLaughlin
Looked understandably rusty in the opening stages after making an impressive recovery from a hernia operation. Brought off at the break and that was hopefully just a precaution as his return is a big boost. 6 Photo: FRANK REID 2020
3. Luke O'Nien
One difficult moment early on where Ennis got the better of him, but generally stepped in very well and was good and calm in his use of the ball. 7 Photo: FRANK REID 2020
4. Bailey Wright
Comfortable in the main both in the air and on the ground, coming through one or two sluggish early moments to generally defend well. 6 Photo: FRANK REID 2019