GUS POYET last night acknowledged the way Phil Bardsley has gone about reviving his career on Wearside after the full-back put Sunderland on the road to a Capital One Cup quarter-final spot last night.

Bardsley's first goal since May laid the foundations for a much-deserved 2-1 victory over Southampton in the last-16 of the competition at the Stadium of Light.

Despite a late consolation from Saints defender Maya Yoshida, Sunderland's second goal through Seb Larsson with four minutes remaining proved enough to set up a date with Chelsea on Tuesday, December 17.

It was a night to remember for Bardsley, who still receives a mixed reception from the club's supporters for his off-the-field actions over the last six months.

The sections of supporters jeering when he celebrated his opener in the 59th minute last night still recall his derogatory remarks on a social networking site after the opening day defeat to Fulham.

At that stage he had been ostracised by Paolo Di Canio for the way he was pictured in a casino at the back end of last season when Sunderland's players celebrated Premier League survival on a night out.

But Poyet has only seen good things since taking over and was happy to bring him back in to the fold despite being aware of certain fans' perceptions of the full-back.

The Sunderland boss said: “I am not sure if it was a risk by me to bring him back in. When I arrived, I saw how important he was for the group and how much he wanted to play in behind-closed-doors friendlies.

“The situation with Andrea Dossena at the time was that he was not fully fit. I thought it was a great kind of addition to have Phil in the group. He is part of the club and if he is good enough he will play.”

He added: “I am happy for Phil. We put him in to the box for the free-kick and to put his head on things. I had to try to take a risk by putting four defenders in to the box, we had other players who could stay at the back like Jack Colback. Sometimes you have to take a risk and this time it paid off.”

While Sunderland's Premier League status remains uncertain after a dreadful start to the campaign, reaching the League Cup quarter-final for the first time since 2000 provides some light relief.

Poyet is looking forward to the occasion. He said: “Those are the games I need to enjoy. A quarter-final means you are not going to come up against a small team very often so Chelsea will be very special. I am looking forward to it.

“It's a cup competition we need to win, a quarter-final is something we have not achieved for many years. It is great for the club.”

It was the manner in which Sunderland moved beyond Southampton which pleased Poyet the most. There might have been ten changes made by the Saints, but Sunderland looked comfortable from start to finish and deserved to take the lead and go through.

It is two home wins a row for Poyet, whose first game in charge at the Stadium of Light was a 2-1 win over Newcastle United, and he has already seen encouraging signs from the players he has picked.

He said: “The most important thing is that it was hard and we got through. We passed the ball more against Southampton than we have in the last three games.

“We have to remember that in the future winning games is hard. The players can take confidence from passing the ball and making it run.

“The idea was to give the players a chance to get in positions to keep the ball better. We did a few things we have not been doing. We can plan, talk, but in a game you don't know if it will happen. It took us a while. As soon as we started to get the ball ourselves, I knew that sooner or later we would get a chance.”

Poyet also reserved praise for £6m striker Jozy Altidore. The American has still only scored once – none in the Premier League – since arriving from AZ Alkmaar in the summer. He was key in both Sunderland goals last night though.

“The first goal was a proper downward header to cause problems and Bardsley made the most of the rebound,” said Poyet. “The second was was the key ball of the game.

“Normally the striker would have a shot in those positions and think of himself. But Jozy thought of the team. We need to be really happy for him. The more he contributed, the more we play.”

Last night's cup win also saw defender Wes Brown make his first start since injury ruined his Sunderland career in January 2012.

Poyet, whose side face Manchester City on Sunday, hopes to call on Brown more often. He said: “If there is a Premier League player who has played a big part for Manchester United in your squad then he will always be important.

“It has been so long. We have to hope he can recover in time for Sunday. He reads the game; he is that class of player you need and he can bring something others can't.”