Tony Mowbray was relieved to end Albion's 11-game sequence without a win - but insisted the performance was not too dissimilar to recent losses. Albion were superior to a poor Sunderland team in all departments with Jonas Olsson, Chris Brunt and Juan Carlos Menseguez putting the Black Cats to the sword.
Albion knew beforehand that anything less than a victory would all but relegate the Baggies with Sunderland also hoping to add points in their bid to avoid the drop. Back in December Sunderland, and in particular Kenwyne Jones and Djibrill Cisse, ran the Baggies ragged with Mowbray delighted his defence kept the dangerous pair at bay whilst taking chances at the other end.
"I said before the game it was important we gave the supporters something back," said the Baggies boss.
"I think today's performance did that.
"I didn't see a vastly different performance to what I see week in, week out and yet we managed to keep the ball out of our net and scored three goals.
"I think that, generally, it was our normal sort of performance.
"But in both boxes we were better than we have been.
"I wasn't really interested in the opposition other than us trying to keep them out.
"They've got some very, very dangerous players.
"The two centre-forwards put us to the sword at the Stadium of Light in December.
"But our concentration levels were much better today.
"You look across their midfield and the quality they bring on - the likes of Malbranque and Whitehead etc.
"But I'm only focused on our team and I'm happy enough we got a result.
"We deserved it.
"They had one great chance in the second half, which was a reaction by Cisse that he put over the top.
"But, in the first half, they had a few long-range shots and nothing else."
The victory moves Albion six points away from safety, with just four games to go, with Mowbray refusing to get carried away with any Great Escape hopes deciding to focus on next Saturday's vital trip to Tottenham at White Hart Lane (KO 3pm).
"We move on to Tottenham next week," Mowbray continued.
"What you do know when you play Tottenham is they allow you to play.
"We'll get chances, as we did at Manchester City last week, when we had a lot more opportunities to score than they did.
"We need to do what we did today and take some of those chances.
"We could have been three or four up last week before we were 1-0 down yet we kept missing chances.
"Goals change games, as they did today.
"We go to Tottenham next week looking forward to the challenge.
"They've got some great, world-class players and have their own aspirations of finishing seventh.
"It will be tough for us but we'll go there knowing we can give them a few problems.
"If we win that, then we'll have another home game against Wigan.
"If we can win that too, maybe people will start writing the 'Great Escape' can happen again!
"But, for me, it's about the next game.
"I don't want to look at the bigger picture.
"It's very, very difficult for us and yet I don't want to sit here and say 'we're definitely going down' or 'we're back in the hunt'.
"It's a massive, massive job - almost an impossible job.
"But strange things happen in football.
"If we can win next week at Tottenham we would hope to give Wigan a game.
"If we win three on the bounce, you hope in two weeks' time we're level on points with the likes of Blackburn.
"But that's all 'what ifs' and we mustn't get carried away.
"Let's just keep going and wait and see."