Sunderland routed Stoke 4-0 on Sunday to end its wait for a Premier League victory this season while inflicting the visitors' first loss of the campaign.
Titus Bramble's first goal for Sunderland and Jonathan Woodgate's own goal put the hosts 2-0 up against fifth-place Stoke after 11 minutes.
Craig Gardner added the third with a deflected strike in the 28th and Sweden winger Sebastian Larsson rounded off the victory with a 58th-minute free kick.
The victory eased the pressure on under-fire Sunderland manager Steve Bruce, whose team had only picked up two points from its first four games.
''It's nice to get a victory,'' Sunderland assistant manager Eric Black said. ''Any victory in the Premier League is great, but under the circumstances he (Bruce) has had to deal with personally - because he is from this area as well - I think he will be quite happy.''
Stoke had won two and drawn two before the match at the Stadium of Light but was a clear second best against Sunderland, three days after an energy-sapping draw away to Dynamo Kiev in the Europa League.
''We are very, very unfortunate in some respects that every time we play in Europe, the next game is away from the Britannia Stadium,'' Stoke manager Tony Pulis said.
