Chris Coleman Believes Sunderland Have Chance at Championship Survival After Derby Win

Sunderland manager Chris Coleman believes his side have a chance of avoiding relegation following their 4-1 win against Derby County on Friday.

Goals from George Honeyman, Ashley Fletcher, Aiden McGeady and John O'Shea were enough for the Black Cats to earn their first win since 10 January, moving them off the foot of the Championship table.

Now only three points from safety with seven games left to play, Coleman thinks the win against Gary Rowett's side gives Sunderland a chance of avoiding relegation come the end of the season.

As quoted by the Chronicle, he said: "The performance was very important because of where we have been in the last nine or ten games – we just haven’t been good enough.

"We haven’t hit enough heights consistently, so this performance was huge for us and I was delighted. We are still three points behind, but we’ve given ourselves a chance."

Next for Sunderland is a home game on Easter Monday, with the former Wales manager urging his side to play without fear at the Stadium of Light.

(You may also be interested in FanView: Why Sunderland Must Learn From History to Make Derby Win Count in Relegation Battle)

He continued, stating: "Monday is a big test for us because we play with fear at home. No one can get over that but ourselves. All due respect to Sheffield Wednesday, it is about us getting ourselves right at home.

"We haven’t won back-to-back games all season, hence why we are bottom of the league of course, and it is a big challenge for us on Monday, a big opportunity."