Mick McCarthy admitted revenge over Crystal Palace was sweet, but it was clear that the manner of last season's play-off defeat to the Eagles still leaves a bitter taste in his mouth.

Goals from Andy Welsh and Marcus Stewart cancelled out an unfortunate own goal from Neill Collins and sent the Black Cats through to the fourth round of the FA Cup at the expense of the side that ended their Premiership dream last May.

A few penalty kicks and another game away from joining the elite, Sunderland found themselves consigned to another term in the Championship as Palace emerged victorious on spot-kicks before going on to beat West Ham in the final.

So while Saturday redressed the balance somewhat it did not make up for the manner of that defeat.

"Nowhere near," said the bluff Yorkshireman. "I'd have swapped losing to Palace in the third round of the Cup for being in the Premier League.

"It doesn't make up for it, but I tell you what it doesn't half taste nice. It's sweet beating them, but if we had beaten anybody it would have been the same. We just needed to win."

McCarthy might not have too long to wait for that place in the top flight.

Third in the Championship, Sunderland can see the Promised Land on the horizon and, on the basis of the weekend's performance, they would not look out of place among those currently occupying the lower half of the table.

As McCarthy observed, there was certainly nothing between the Black Cats and their more lofty Cup opponents that's for sure.

"Somebody asked me the question: Is there that much difference between the top of the Championship and the bottom of the Premiership?," he said. "Perhaps there isn't. I said in the week that's because the same teams seem to go up and down.

"We have played well this time, I don't think Iain (Dowie, Palace boss) is happy with his team's performance. But that doesn't bother me, my team has played very well."

Sunderland, with three changes to the side that drew 1-1 in a lacklustre league game with Gillingham last time out, took the tie to Palace from the off and were unlucky not to have been in front on five minutes.

Welsh, making his home debut after signing at the end of last year from Stockport, took advantage of Fitz Hall's indecision before hooking the ball goalwards from an angle eight yards out. It looked certain to be a goal but Lady Luck was on Palace's side and the ball struck the underside of the bar and bounced out.

Stephen Elliott and Stewart both had half chances and Carl Robinson headed well wide from a good position as Sunderland increased their dominance as the half wore on.

It was fully 25 minutes before Palace had an opportunity of note, and unusually it did not involve the Premiership's top homegrown striker, Andy Johnson.

Ben Watson released Vassilis Lakis overlapping down the left but after running into the box he fired his shot wide.

On a biting cold day, Johnson raised the temperature just after the half hour when he flew in to tackle Neill Collins - starting in the centre of defence in place of the injured Gary Breen - upending the Scot and incensing the home bench in the process.

The striker was yellow carded and Collins, despite later denying it was premeditated, punished him further two minutes later by grounding him from behind.

He too was booked and shortly after blotted his copybook for a second time when he inadvertently gave the Londoners the lead.

To be fair to the former Dumbarton captain the card and the own goal, which came about when he slid home a right wing cross under pressure from Johnson, were the only blemishes on an otherwise fine afternoon.

Having found themselves a goal down against the run of play, Sunderland redoubled their efforts and were level four minutes before the break. Michael Hughes flattened Dean Whitehead on the right wing and Welsh assumed responsibility for the free-kick.

The youngster fired it into the box left-footed and despite Stewart stooping to get his head on the ball he, along with everyone else, missed and it bounced past Gabor Kiraly and into the net.

The goal that sealed the victory came in somewhat controversial circumstances, Dowie certainly thought so afterwards.

In the 59th minute Marcus Stewart chased a long ball and went down in the box, somewhat softly, under the challenge of Hall. Referee Rob Styles had no hesitation in pointing to the spot and Stewart stepped up to fire past Kiraly.

Sean Thornton had more influence on the game as it wore on and he served notice to Kiraly when he fired in a shot that the Hungarian keeper saved.

At the other end the otherwise low-key Johnson arrowed in on goal after breaking between two defenders. Thomas Myhre, however, was alert to the danger and rushed out to intercept with his feet.

Welsh was taken off to a standing ovation before Thornton clipped the bar from a free-kick 25 yards out.

Four minutes before the end the same player went on a mazy run that was ended on the edge of the box and seconds later another run saw him unleash a bullet drive that only the fingertips of Kiraly and then the crossbar prevented from going in.

McCarthy said the victory proved that there was not a lot wrong in the camp despite some indifferent performances of late.

"When you have lost games and then in the last one put in the poor performance when we drew it's only normal that things are said," he said.

"Things were said by me, I was critical of our performances, Other people are and they start to wonder whether we can get promoted.

"Suddenly after a couple of iffy performances everything is wrong and it's not. If anything, this performance just highlights that."

Result: Sunderland 2 Crystal Palace 1.

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