Sunderland defender Phil Bardsley has stated that new boss Martin O'Neill has added fresh impetus to the club.

The Black Cats' 3-2 win over QPR on Wednesday was O'Neill's second victory in three games since taking over from Steve Bruce, and Bardsley has praised his manager.

"It's been really good. He's been a breath of fresh air and he's brought a few ideas in with him. The lads are buying in to what he wants us to do and hopefully he's been happy with what we've done so far," Bardsley told The Sun.

"Everyone always talks about the Christmas programme being vital, so it's nice to have some momentum to take into it. We've got a couple of home fixtures coming up now and we can go back to our stadium with a bit of confidence."

Sunderland will look to continue their run of form when they host Everton on Monday afternoon.