Former Liverpool defender Alan Hansen believes that Sunderland manager Paolo Di Canio will prevent the Black Cats from falling into the Championship.

The former Swindon Town manager secured a heavy feat in his second game in charge by leading his team to a 3-0 win over arch rivals Newcastle United at St James' Park yesterday.

"There are those who light up a room when they enter," Hansen wrote in The Telegraph. "Di Canio has the vitality to make the Stadium of Light glow on the evidence of his first two games in charge.

"I do not see how they will go down after their victory over Newcastle. The timing of the game, the manner of the victory and, perhaps most importantly of all, the venue in which they produced their best performance of the season will surely give them the momentum to secure safety."

The Black Cats are three points above the drop zone.