The Black Cats made sure they ended their Fleetwood Town hoodoo with a complete performance at the Stadium of Light.
Lee Johnson's side were in complete control of the game after a lively start from the visitors.
There was a standout performance from Max Power in the centre of Sunderland's midfield and a wise head on young shoulders in Dion Sanderson at the back.
Here are some of the key talking points from Sunderland's win over Fleetwood Town.
End of the Fleetwood Hoodoo
Lee Johnson's side turned in one of their most complete performances of the season as they ended the Fleetwood Town hoodoo.
The Black Cats had not won against the Fishermen in six previous attempts but made sure they came away with all three points today.
Their record against Town has been dismal since their drop to the third tier of English football - two draws and four defeats prior to today.
Sunderland's head coach will be pleased with his side's performance.
They moved the ball well all afternoon, looked threatening on every attack and were solid at the back.
The win consolidates Sunderland's spot in the play-off spots and are now just seven points off the second automatic spot.
Wise head on young shoulders
Every single time Dion Sanderson takes to the field he impresses. His overall positional play and his distribution is top drawer.
For a young centre-half there's a wise head on young shoulders.
When young players from Premier League clubs head to the Football League they can often shrink under the pressure.
Sanderson certainly hasn't.
He may not have had a consistent run in the side but has featured regularly since arriving from Molyneux.
He's had to deal with his fair share of physical battles and has come out of them reigning supreme.
His tackle on Kyle Vassell just before the half-time whistle was timed to perfection - and it needed to be having already been booked.
The revamped engine room
Much has been made of Sunderland's midfield this season with a number of players of similar ability and stature.
But they've had a new lease of life in recent weeks in regards to tempo in the middle of the park and had to change their system as a result of injuries.
Luke O'Nien has played a major part in the revamping of Sunderland's engine room and you'd have been forgiven if you had fears over a lack of legs in the middle with the 26-year-old filling in at centre-back.
But, fear not. The resurgence of Max Power has been a pleasure to watch.
He lead by example this evening and was the focal point for Sunderland's press on a number of occasions this evening.
The Black Cats skipper has also been one of the standout players since Lee Johnson's arrival. He's played the majority of that at right-back but didn't look out of place and actually turned into one of Sunderland's best outlets on the right hand side.
This evening he was everywhere and most notably progressive with his passing which got his side on the front foot.
The skipper got Sunderland's second to cap off a fine individual performance. He made a brilliant run to the far post and powered a header beyond Cairns in the Fleetwood goal to secure all three points.
