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Sunderland manager Gus Poyet hails impact of striker Jermain Defoe

Jermain Defoe, who scored in the 1-1 draw against Swansea, is a "special" striker who gives Sunderland "confidence", according to manager Gus Poyet.

Sunderland manager Gus Poyet has labelled Jermaine Defoe as "special" after the England striker scored in today's 1-1 draw at Swansea City.

Defoe bagged a few minutes before half time at the Liberty Stadium as he lashed the ball into the back of the net after drifting past a couple of Swansea defenders.

The 32-year-old joined the Black Cats from Toronto in January and has already scored twice for his new club, which has prompted Poyet to heap praise on the veteran.

He told Sky Sports News: "He is special and there are not many. Proven Premier League goalscorers cost a lot and to find one that can come to us is quite difficult so he's very important for us. Now we know what he can do because he can score from nothing. He knows what he can do and gives us the confidence as a team that sooner or later he will put the ball in the back of the net.

"If we do our jobs, then if we find him on the pitch, then I'm sure he is going to score plenty and that will be a platform for the rest of the season."

Ki Sung-yueng scored the equaliser to restrict Sunderland to a draw which leaves them 14th in the Premier League table.

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Jermain Defoe of Sunderland celebrates scoring the opening goal with team mates during the Barclays Premier League match between Swansea City and Sunderland at Liberty Stadium on February 7, 2015
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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Leeds UnitedLeeds1695228121632
2Sunderland1695226121432
3Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd1610422191232
4Burnley168621961330
5Middlesbrough1683529191027
6West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom166821811726
7Watford168262524126
8Millwall166641914524
9Blackburn RoversBlackburn156451917222
10Bristol City165742020022
11Derby CountyDerby165562020020
12Stoke CityStoke165561920-120
13Norwich CityNorwich164752524119
14Swansea CitySwansea165471414019
15Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds165471826-819
16Luton TownLuton165381826-818
17Coventry CityCoventry164572223-117
18Oxford UnitedOxford Utd164571924-517
19Plymouth ArgylePlymouth164571728-1117
20Preston North EndPreston163761624-816
21Cardiff CityCardiff164481524-916
22Hull City163671621-515
23Portsmouth152671628-1212
24Queens Park RangersQPR161871326-1311


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