Sunderland midfielder Seb Larsson hopes the Wearside club can move on to better things next season after the club secured their Premier League survival on Wednesday night.

Sunderland 0 Leicester 0: Leicester players are backing both Nigel Pearsons for manager of the year awards after the Foxes completed perhaps the greatest of all escapes. That’s one for the man we see in public, and another for the real Pearson.

Sunderland 1 Newcastle United 0: Jermain Defoe is a quick learner. Sunderland’s recent acquisition has spent the last fortnight taking a crash-course in Wear-Tyne derby history, and it took him less than 45 minutes to write his name indelibly into its latest chapter.

Manchester City 3 Sunderland 2

Sunderland 1 Hull 3 Sunderland were tormented by the ghost of Christmas Past as Steve Bruce returned once again to haunt them.

Sunderland 1 Manchester City 4

Sunderland 1 Everton 1

Sunderland 1 Manchester United 1

Manchester United 0 Sunderland 1

Cardiff and Fulham were both relegated from the Barclays Premier League after Sunderland continued their remarkable resurgence with a shock 1-0 win at Manchester United.

Man City 2 Sunderland 2

Norwich 2 Sunderland 0

Club-record signing Mesut Ozil has been left out of the Arsenal squad for today’s Barclays Premier League clash against Sunderland at the Emirates Stadium.

Sunderland 2 Manchester 1

Aston Villa 0 Sunderland 0

Hull 1 Sunderland 0

Sunderland 2 Newcastle 1

Few nations visiting the rebuilt Lansdowne Road have been greeted by a raucous atmosphere but Seb Larsson admitted last night that Sweden’s ambitions of getting a result may hinge on quietening the home crowd.

Sunderland 1 Stoke 1

Sunderland 1 Stoke 1

Sunderland 1 Everton 0

Such are the peculiarities of footballing hysteria that a series of subtle, successfully-executed dives will bring about nothing like the binge of handwringing a bunch of botched, largely fruitless ones will.

After the Euros flop, John O’Shea says the Irish team is determined to bring back the feelgood factor.

Martin O’Neill claims James McClean can be as good as Gareth Bale provided he quickly learns how to deal with the unwanted attentions of increasingly packed defences intent on halting his rapid rise to prominence.

Roberto Mancini has embraced the tradition of Premier League mind games as readily as an Italian super model takes to the Paris fashion runways but, after the desperate home draw with Sunderland, even the Manchester City manager admits the end may be nigh in his club’s title assault.

It was the North-East turf ‘wor’ taken rather too literally.

QUESTION: How do you know when things are going your way?

John O’Shea paid tribute to manager Martin O’Neill for inspiring Sunderland to a 1-0 win over Barclays Premier League leaders Manchester City.

MARTIN O’NEILL confessed he’d ran through dozens of scenarios in his mind as to how his first game as Sunderland manager would pan out.

MICK MCCARTHY has no reservations that Martin O’Neill will work his magic and revive the fortunes of Sunderland – but is delighted to have made his close friend’s job more difficult by pushing the north east club closer to relegation trouble.

SEVEN years ago, after his release by Manchester City, such was his disenchantment with football that Keiren Westwood was on the verge of joining the police force.

Sweden midfielder Seb Larsson is attracting interest from four Barclays Premier League following his release from Birmingham, according to his agent.

Wigan manager Roberto Martinez condemned Birmingham midfielder Craig Gardner’s foul on Franco Di Santo and raised fears the Latics striker may have suffered ankle ligament damage.

DEFEAT on the final day of the season had no impact on the finishing position of Birmingham and their manager Alex Mcleish, as goals from Kevin Davies and Ivan Klasnic did nothing to deny his club their best league finish in 51 years.

Watford 0 Birmingham 1

Jens Lehmann is confident Arsenal have the quality to get a positive result against Liverpool at Anfield tonight.

Manchester City 1 Arsenal 2

Manchester City 1 Arsenal 2