Lift-off for Sunderland as Fletcher and McClean provide welcome spark Relief. One year and nine days into the tenure of a Premier League manager and the emotion was huge. Martin O'Neill needed a victory. He got one. He got a show of support from the Sunderland owner, Ellis Short, as well. The pockets of play in which his team have looked like an actual side were extended to the length of a game tonight and with that came three points and a huge sigh from supporters who have not wanted to turn on O'Neill and have not. How significant the applause which followed Sunderland off the field on Saturday, after they had again been defeated, by Chelsea. Belief. It does no harm to a manager fighting for the opportunity to manage. He signed two players for significant fees in the summer. Steven Fletcher scored another excellent goal, after James McClean had given Sunderland a third-minute lead. Stéphane Sessègnon fired home a late third and Adam Johnson, before he limped off, again showed improvement. Danny Rose, the full-back signed on loan from Spurs in the summer, was once more excellent. It is why O'Neill keeps asking for time. There was a need for more than just words and tonight, finally, it came. O'Neill could not have wished for a more positive start. For the past month his tone has changed and it has been one of defiance. There has been no suggestion from his public utterances that there was not a desire to fight out a truly difficult section of his managerial career. His players had responded before last night in spurts rather for the entirety of a match. They were good in patches against Chelsea on Saturday, but when they were, the game had already been lost. After less than three minutes Sunderland had taken the lead against Reading. There was a look of disbelief from O'Neill as he bounced around his technical area, but his eyes had not deceived him. A corner had been cleared only as far as McClean and the Republic of Ireland winger drilled a low, left-footed shot into the bottom corner of the visitors' goal. It looked the McClean of last year. The relief was almost tangible. Short had also toured the press room before the game, his support for the manager he appointed unwavering. From there Sunderland looked to build. Reading have failed to win a game away from home in the Premier League since 2008. It was easy to see why. Within two minutes of the goal, Sebastian Larsson had played a neat one-two with Fletcher, carried on with his run and struck a shot from 20 yards that Adam Federici did well to save to his left. By the eighth minute, Johnson had drilled a shot into the side netting. Sessègnon shot wide from the edge of the penalty area and by the 28th minute the lead had been doubled. Rose did well down the Sunderland left with a surging run, from which he crossed low and there was still plenty for Fletcher to do, but the forward cleverly dragged the ball with his left foot, while facing away from goal, beyond Federici. Sunderland should have won by more. Sessègnon was denied by Federici after a neat, first-time shot and McClean drew another tidy save from the Reading goalkeeper in the 78th minute. Simon Mignolet had tipped a Nick Shorey free-kick to safety before then, and at the close he denied Noel Hunt. Man of the match Rose. Referee N Swarbrick (Lancashire). Attendance 37,723.