Bobby Zamora scored the only goal of the game and Hodgson heaped praise on the striker after the game.
“The first half he was magnificent, second half I don’t think he got the service and even then I thought he did very well and he was a thorn in the side of the Sunderland centre-backs,” Hodgson told Sky Sports.
“But I don’t think we got the ball up to him and Erik Nevland anywhere near as much in the second half.
“But his overall performance was fantastic. I am extremely pleased to see him score a goal and he also hit the crossbar and I thought his performance was good throughout.”
