Wolves' Mick McCarthy satisfied at beating Sunderland

Mick McCarthy is pleased to be heading into the final day of the season with Wolves' Premier League fate in their own hands after beating Sunderland 3-1.

Wanderers remain one point clear of the relegation zone after Blackpool also won, 4-3 at home against Bolton.

Wolves host relegation rivals Blackburn on Sunday and boss McCarthy said: "We can't do any more. We can only win.

"Everyone has been in my ear all week about permutations but if we take care of our games then we will be OK."

And McCarthy's side certainly took care of their game at the Stadium of Light, with Jody Craddock volleying them into the lead against his former club.

A defensive lapse allowed Stephane Sessegnon to level before half-time but Steven Fletcher scored his fifth goal in five games to restore the visitors' lead before George Elokobi sealed the win with a powerful diving header.

However, McCarthy admitted it had been far from a comfortable afternoon on the touchline.

"I wasn't calm," he told BBC Sport. "It was emotional.

"We got battered first half to be fair, but second half we did better.

"I thought [half-time substitute Matt] Jarvis would give us a bit more impetus and he had an immediate impact, producing a great cross for Fletcher's goal.

"The third goal was vital but did it make me relax completely? No, but it helped settle us a bit and perhaps broke their resistance a bit."

Sunderland manager Steve Bruce was left bemoaning his club's crippling injury list after 10 first-team regulars missed their final home game of the season.

"We need a break and we need to get some players fit," he said.

"When I look at the bench and see that there's nobody over the age of 19, it shows what a difficult time we've had."

However, Bruce did reserve some praise for 21-year-old Jack Colback who has shone in recent weeks.

"Jack has been outstanding and a positive from all this," he commented. "He has cemented his place in the squad for next season."

On Saturday's game, Bruce admitted that the match bore a resemblance to several other recent performances.

"We played some excellent stuff but there's a familiarity about us," he stated.

"The first half was terrific, the second half we were nowhere near the same level. In the first half we should have been three or four up.

"We are a bit stretched but defensively we've been awful. It's been the most difficult three or four months ever though - we can't work on what the team is going to do before a Friday because we haven't known who is going to be available.

"We've limped over the line."