Sunderland beat Fulham 1-0 to get their Premier League campaign up and running, with Granit Xhaka at the heart of things for Regis Le Bris' side.
Sunderland got back to winning ways on Sunday afternoon with their 1-0 victory over Fulham in their first Stadium of Light outing of the new Premier League season.
Just moments after spurning a guilt-edged opening, second-half substitute Wilson Isidor netted the winner for Sunderland with a deft finish courtesy of a quality ball into the box from fellow substitute Habib Diarra.
The Black Cats headed into the visit of Alvaro Arbeloa's side having been beaten on opening weekend by newly-promoted Ipswich Town, with an uncharacteristically lacklustre performance in every third of the pitch.
At Ipswich, Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka failed to have much impact on proceedings, but it was quite the opposite against, with the Swiss midfield metronome running the show in front of the Stadium of Light faithful.
Against Fulham, Xhaka was awarded the player of the match award for his efforts, and despite the equally outstanding performance of Nordi Mukiele upon his return to the Sunderland starting XI, the Black Cats captain more than earned his plaudit.
Within the clash, Xhaka created the most chances(three), made the most successful final third passes (16), the most progressive passes (eight), and was best for line-breaking passes in the final third (11).
After his side's important win, Xhaka explained that Sunderland were fired up for the clash to right the wrongs of last weekend's poor Portman Road performance, and that was reflected in the result.
Granit Xhaka during Sunderland vs Fulham (REUTERS)Granit Xhaka: Sunderland Back To Ourselves Against Fulham
After captaining his side to their first win of the new season, Xhaka made clear how proud he was of his red-and-white teammates for showing "big character" to get back to winning ways.
Xhaka told Sky Sports: "I think it was important to show the hunger again, to come back in reality.
"I think that against Ipswich, it was not Sunderland; it was not ourselves that made us strong last season. And we knew we can't continue like this.
"And I think that today we showed big character, collective as well together. And I'm very proud of this team because Fulham beat us last season twice, at home and away.
"And we wanted to show them that at home nobody can beat us, or it's difficult to beat us. We showed a great game today."
Granit Xhaka in action for Sunderland against Fulham (REUTERS)Sunderland Must Keep Stadium of Light Form Going
In typical fashion, the 49,000-plus Sunderland supporters inside the Stadium of Light played their collective part in the victory, and it is crucial for the Black Cats that their form on home soil continues this term.
Last season, Sunderland lost just four of their 19 home games, with nine wins and six draws, with their away form slightly worse with eight losses, six draws and just five wins on the road.
The atmosphere from the crowd fed into Sunderland's performance, and now the onus is on the Black Cats to make the Stadium of Light a fortress and a formidable ground to come to for their opponents this season to ensure Le Bris' side enjoy the same successes as last season.
