NOT for the first time, Jermain Defoe was reduced to tears by a Stadium of Light passion play.

The 33-year-old earned a place in supporters' hearts for his emotional response to striking a stunning winner in last season's 1-0 Wear-Tyne victory over Newcastle.

There was more pain for Sunderland's North-East neighbours as Defoe capped a stirring comeback with his 18th goal of the season to seal a memorable come from behind victory as Chelsea were beaten 3-2.

And the Black Cats' top scorer revealed that the atmosphere and sense of occasion generated by the passion generated by more than 47,000 fans had him welling up again as he helped fire Sam Allardyce's side to the brink of safety.

"Don't tell anyone," he said when asked about his latest tearful exit from the pitch. He added: "It is hard not too - it's crazy. I don't know what is wrong with me. As I get older, I'm just getting too emotional. It's hard to find words to describe what it was like."

Defoe has played a huge role in helping Sunderland's latest escape bid. He has scored 15 of their 40 league goals this season, making him responsible for 14 of the current tally of 35 points, three short of the safety target set by Allardyce.

They can reach that goal with victory against Everton on Wednesday, when the Stadium of Light is again set to provide a pulsating backdrop to the efforts to seal a fourth consecutive great escape, and condemn Newcastle and Norwich to the Championship alongside Aston Villa.

"To be honest, the fans won us the game," Defoe added. "Even when you are fatigued and tired, and it has been a long season mentally, when the fans roar like that you find something. You find an energy. We knew it was a massive game but to win like that is unbelievable.

"The noise the fans generated was even louder than the derby last year. It was unbelievable. They knew how important the game was, and the noise was frightening, in fact I got goose bumps. That atmosphere proved why we should be in the Premier League."

Defoe is convinced that Sunderland are in the best shape to stay up of the three clubs vying to remain in the division largely due to the mental strength they have shown during the run-in.

"We have always believed," he said. Calling for one last push on Wednesday night to avoid the battle for survival going down to the last day, Defoe added: "It's just about being mentally strong. You can forget about the tactics and formations, it's about mental toughness and not letting the pressure get to you.

"It's important to stay relaxed and calm. We have another massive game on Wednesday and we need to make sure we recover and get ready for that."