Sunderland's convincing 3-0 victory over West Ham was impressive, and there are signs of a club stirring at the Stadium of Light which bodes well for a positive second half to the season.
However, O’Neill let his veneer of caution slip to admit this was probably Sunderland’s best performance for a year.
The attacking quartet of Steven Fletcher, Adam Johnson, Stephane Sessegnon and James McClean looked genuinely threatening.
And was certainly happy enough.
Adam Johnson: “I think that was the best we’ve played this season.
“We looked threatening and cut them open so many times – everything clicked for us. It took us a bit of time with new players and stuff. But I think you’re starting to see the benefits now of having a few games with each other.
“I think at Man City once you start coming on as a sub, you do get classed as a bit of an impact player even when that’s probably not even true. It is nice to be playing week in, week out.
“I think I’ve started more games for Sunderland probably than I did in the whole of last season. I think that tells you the story. My game is definitely benefiting from that. I feel much better physically.
“The team played higher up the pitch and it gave the attackers more chances. And then we didn’t have as much space to cover getting back and forward.
“We’re nearer the top half than the bottom three now and I think that shows the improvement in recent weeks. We beat City, we got a good win away at Southampton and I think things have picked up overall from earlier on in the season.”