Phil Smith's verdict: How these key changes helped Sunderland deliver the performance we all needed to see

The aggressive press paid off, a loose ball recycled and played early out to the right flank.

The cross from Lynden Gooch was wicked, and the visitors were relieved to survive the danger clear for a corner.

There were so many striking moments in a quite remarkable game that it might seem a little odd to focus on this one. It felt important, though, because it highlighted Sunderland's refusal to take a backward step at any point in the game.

At this point they were 3-0 up and in complete control, McGeady already with three assists to his name. His tackle was a signal that the Black Cats would not sit on their lead.

When Doncaster pulled a goal back shortly thanks in no small part to a large dose of good fortune, McGeady simply attacked the byline and stood up yet another inch-perfect cross.

Charlie Wyke had a little help on this occasion but his four-goal tally was fair reward not just for consistently superb positioning in the box, but for the all-around quality of his play as he led the line.

It was, as Lee Johnson pointed out, far from the complete performance.

Doncaster Rovers had their spells in the game and their finishing was wasteful, not just with the two penalties that they spurned in the second half (it must be said that the first was a genuinely superb save from Lee Burge).

That Sunderland were comfortably the better and most enterprising side was not in question nevertheless and for that reason, this was the performance that supporters needed to see.

Johnson has promised a 'bold' and 'brave' side while Sporting Director Kristjaan Speakman has talked of a long-term plan to deliver an attacking philosophy starting that begins from an aggressive high press.

There have been signs of it in patches, but this is the closest the Black Cats have come to sustaining it for ninety minutes.

Even when Darren Moore's side looked threatening, Sunderland always seemed capable of a response.

It was arguably the most expansive and exciting performance since Barnsley were overwhelmed in November 2018, a 4-2 win that arguably proved to be the high water mark of the club's time in League One so far.

As they did on that night, Sunderland took risks here and deserved their rewards.

There had been some telling remarks from Johnson in his pre-match press conference on Thursday.

Tuesday night's performance against Shrewsbury Town had been a wounding experience, the Black Cats outfought and outplayed in the second half.

Johnson on more than one occasion said ahead of this one that there would be an element of getting back to basics.

Perhaps even more tellingly, Johnson discussed replacing Jordan Willis and spoke of getting 'round pegs in round holes' as much as possible.

Sunderland reverted to 4-3-3, with Max Power installed at the base of midfield.

Josh Scowen and Luke O'Nien led the press ahead of him as Conor McLaughlin returned to his familiar right-back role.

To his credit, Sunderland's head coach quickly acknowledged an error in dropping Burge and was rewarded with the goalkeeper's two penalty saves.

There was a balance to the side that has not always been the case in the last fortnight, when Sunderland have looked like a threatening side in attack but have struggled overall for control.

Everywhere you looked there were strong performances.

Dion Sanderson’s showing underlined both his promise and his current ability at this level, and confirmed that his best position is unquestionably at the heart of defence.

McLaughlin's steady performance on his return from a hernia problem underlined why he has quietly become an important player to this side, allowing Johnson to get more athleticism and intensity into his midfield.

Scowen and O'Nien were impressive in their energy and built the platform for Sunderland's forward line to hurt their opponents.

It was a performance of quite mesmeric individual quality from McGeady. He hurt Doncaster on the outside, the inside, and by dropping deep to carve them open with balls over the top.

What was notable, though, was the way Sunderland created the platform for him to thrive.

The service to him was quicker and earlier, making it harder for Doncaster to double up and shut down the space in which he can do damage.

With Kyril Louis-Dreyfus again in attendance, this felt like an afternoon when fans could allow themselves to think of a brighter future.

Johnson will not allow any room for complacency.

Consistency is key for Sunderland and the reality of their stop-start season thus far is that only a long run of results is going to give them a realistic chance of making the top two.

Johnson has not been at the club long but he has already noted a capacity for ‘self-sabotage’; a habit of being unable to back up promising results and performances.

The style and conviction of today’s performance has set a template and a standard but the key is in sustaining it.

Just for a moment, though, it feels fair to leave the longer-term picture to one side.

This was a quite superb response to the bitter disappointment of Tuesday night’s defeat and most importantly of all, it was an afternoon when Sunderland were fun, when they drew you in and lifted the spirits in spite of everything else going on outside of football.

It is good as place as any for a project to start.

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