After losing his place in the starting line up, the FA Cup third round match with Carlisle United marked a turning point in Johnson's fortunes as he scored a free kick and played a part in both other goals in Sunderland's 3–1 win. Two days later, Johnson was brought on as a substitute in the League Cup semi-final first leg against Manchester United, and won a penalty after being fouled by Tom Cleverley, which Fabio Borini scored to give Sunderland a 2–1 advantage going into the second leg. Manager Gus Poyet praised Johnson's contribution as 'outstanding'. On 11 January 2014, he scored his first career hat-trick and assisted Ki Sung-Yueng, inspiring Sunderland to a 4–1 away win against Fulham which lifted them off the bottom of the table. He was the Premier League Player of the Month for January 2014. On 2 March in the League Cup Final against Manchester City, he assisted Borini for the opening goal in the tenth minute, but Sunderland lost 1–3.