Sunderland won 3-0 at local rivals Newcastle on Sunday to fire their bid to avoid relegation from the English Premier League and give Paolo di Canio a memorable victory in his first north-east derby. Stephane Sessegnon, Adam Johnson and David Vaughan scored three excellent goals as the Black Cats moved three points clear of the bottom three to 34 and to within two points of Alan Pardew's Magpies. The Benin international broke the deadlock mid-way through a frantic first half at St James' Park. The recalled James McClean picked up a loose pass from Jonas Gutierrez and fed Sessegnon, who held off Gutierrez and drilled a low shot past goalkeeper Tim Krul from 25 yards. Di Canio's reaction was typically effusive, the new Sunderland manager sprinting down the touch-line and punching the air in delight. Source: AFP