SUNDERLAND may have slipped behind Newcastle United in the Premier League’s relegation fight, but goalkeeper Vito Mannone has delivered a warning to their Tyne-Wear rivals ahead of the penultimate weekend of the season.

Mannone was part of the Black Cats team that drew at Stoke City; victory would have seen them stay above the Magpies.

Sunderland now trail Newcastle by a point, although Sam Allardyce’s side have a game in hand and a superior goal difference so know they will stay up if they take more points than Newcastle and Norwich from the remaining matches.

There has been huge improvements in the Sunderland team since January and they have lost two of their last 11 games. A failure to win more than two, however, has left them deep in relegation trouble with three matches remaining.

Mannone said: “We have been playing well for a while now, and have been solid. It’s just a shame that we didn’t gain enough points when we played Southampton, Newcastle and West Brom. That is a small shame, but we are still in it and it’s still in our own hands. It is down to us now.”

On all of those occasions Sunderland had great chances to win but they ended up drawing all three, just like they did at Stoke on Saturday when they battled back from a goal down to claim a point. But they are now more solid at the back.

Mannone said: “That is what we have to do. That is what the manager is asking for, although it is a tough task. It will be difficult, but every game we go into at the moment, we are thinking, ‘I have to keep a clean sheet’.

“If it happens like it did against Arsenal, I will go home happy that we have managed to do it. We did a good job in that direction, and it’s true what he keeps saying – a clean sheet keeps you up.”

Allardyce has worked hard since taking over from Dick Advocaat on trying to make Sunderland a tighter unit and he has made progress. Sitting midfielder Jan Kirchhoff in front of a back four that has started the last seven games together has helped.

Mannone said: “The manager knows what to do because he’s been in the Premier League for 20-odd years. We’ve been working on defending properly a lot, and on doing the basics right.

“He is quite hands-on on the training pitch, and we always have a day or two during the week where we work on the defensive bits.

“To have the same people in their roles helps a lot. It helps when you are not changing every few games because it is difficult for whoever comes in.

“It is not nice to come in and not know each other, and it is not nice for who is there already and who needs to help the team-mate that is just coming in as well as focusing on their own game.

“All the new team-mates who have come in have helped. They have all been brilliant and made a difference. Each one is giving the right performance every game, and the right help. They have made us much more solid.”

After Chelsea’s visit to the Stadium of Light this Saturday, Sunderland’s game in hand sees them play Everton a week tomorrow before closing the season the following Sunday at Watford.

Kirchhoff’s performances have been hugely impressive and have caught the eye nationally, so much so that he has been shortlisted for the PFA fans’ player of the month award.

The German player is one of 12 on the list for April’s prize along with Newcastle’s Andros Townsend. Alexis Sanchez, Andy Carroll, Christian Eriksen, Daniel Sturridge, David de Gea, Harry Kane, Leonardo Ulloa, N’Golo Kante, Sergio Aguero and Shane Long are the others.