Sunderland, England: Adam Johnson scored in the first half to give Sunderland a 1-0 win over 10-man Stoke and lift his team out of the Premier League relegation zone for the first time since August.
Johnson scored his sixth goal in six games from close range in the 17th minute after Potters keeper Asmir Begovic had spilled Fabio Borini's effort.
Stoke handed a debut to new signing Peter Odemwingie, but struggled to create anything during the opening stages. However, they nearly pulled level in the 39th, but Sunderland keeper Vito Mannone pulled off a stunning save to keep out Ryan Shawcross' point-blank header.
The visitors' hopes of a fightback were dealt a blow within eight minutes of the restart when midfielder Steven Nzonzi was sent off for a second booking, although Shawcross looped a header against the bar with six minutes remaining.
