Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce has urged his side to ensure they stay in the Premier League after they moved out of the relegation zone at the expense of Norwich City.

The Black Cats, 2.00 to be relegated, picked up a 3-0 win over Norwich on April 16 to give themselves a fighting chance of survival and then followed it up with a 0-0 draw against Arsenal on Sunday.

Both sides had penalty appeals turned down at the Stadium of Light as the points were shared, with Arsene Wenger coming under further pressure in north London.

The result moved Allardyce’s men up to 17th in the league although they are still level on points with the Canaries and just one point above Newcastle in 19th.

However, the Black Cats have a better goal difference than their rivals and still have four games to play before the end of the campaign.

Allardyce told the Eastern Daily Press: “Our destiny is in our own hands now for the first time in many months with four games to go, so we have got to take full control of that, starting at Stoke next week.

“When we finish at Stoke, we have got to make sure we are out of the bottom three.”