O'Neill pleased with win

James McClean's second league goal was enough for the Black Cats to take all three points and condemn Stoke to a third straight defeat.

With a blizzard blowing across the pitch throughout the game it was difficult for the players and at times it looked as if it might be abandoned.

O'Neill told Sky Sports: "Naturally delighted to win the game, the conditions were pretty atrocious and they got worse as the game went on, I was just very pleased to have finished the game.

"I think I have played and managed in conditions every bit as bad as that, but it's a difficult decision for everyone once the game starts and it's been going underway and it was okay, or reasonably okay at the start.

"Obviously as the game progresses and conditions get worse it gets more difficult to make decisions, but naturally we are delighted the game continued on after we had scored in it."

The conditions had a huge impact on the game and the Black Cats boss admitted his side found it difficult in the closing stages.

O'Neill added: "In the last 20 minutes of the game, the players were saying that the snow had really settled in the ground and then it becomes difficult.

"It becomes difficult to control the ball, it becomes difficult to run with the ball and you can run past it if you are dribbling with it, and it makes it a bit farcical.

"I thought we attempted to handle them (the conditions) as well as possible and in the end it was a great win for us."

Stoke boss Tony Pulis was furious at the decision to send Robert Huth off on the stroke of half-time, however O'Neill felt Martin Atkinson's decision was justified on first viewing.

"I thought at the time it looked a nasty challenge," said O'Neill.

"I haven't seen it back but our players are convinced it was a red card, and with the new directives now enforced, I thought initially it was, obviously Tony (Pulis) is going to have a different viewpoint, but the referees now are going to be pretty adamant about this."