Sunderland rode their luck, but earned every break with a display of battling brilliance to give themselves a huge boost in the battle to avoid the drop.
2.37pm BST
That’s a smash-and-grab win for Sunderland! They rode their luck at times, and got the benefit of a couple of crucial decisions. But they earned every lucky break: Dick Advocaat’s men fought like cornered dogs, defended staunchly, pounced into attack when they could, and ultimately earned a priceless three points. A deserved win, which takes them up to 14th place in the Premier League table! Another victory next week at home to Leicester City should - should - be enough to keep them up. And they celebrate accordingly. A lot of gleeful prancing going on across the Goodison turf. Everton are booed off, which is a little unfair; they attacked relentlessly, but Sunderland appear to have been destined to win this one. They’re now ahead of Hull City, Leicester City, Aston Villa - and Newcastle United. Worth turning up 30 minutes late for, huh?
2.34pm BST
90 min +3: Goodison is bouncing. The Sunderland end is making an awful lot of noise. And no wonder.
2.34pm BST
90 min +2: A replay of the second goal shows the ball pinging off Defoe’s thigh and onto his hand before going in! The football gods have smiled on Sunderland today. Their performance deserves it, though.
2.33pm BST
90 min +1: Coleman has a shot from the right-hand corner of the area, but it’s dragged across the face of goal and out on the left.
2.32pm BST
90 min: There will be four added minutes of this.
2.32pm BST
88 min: Garbutt is booked for a fairly agricultural lunge on Johnson. The Sunderland fans wonder whether supporters of Newcastle United are watching this. You can bet they are, because as things stand, Sunderland are now above them - and Aston Villa - in the table. What a result this will be. If they can hold on, of course.
2.30pm BST
86 min: Defoe disappeared into the Sunderland support in celebration of that goal. He could easily have been booked for a second time there. But everything’s going Sunderland’s way this lunchtime. In many ways, they deserve it, because they’ve fought so hard. McGeady comes on for Lennon.
2.29pm BST
A double change for Sunderland, and what an instant effect! Larsson and Wickham off, Fletcher and Bridcutt on. Fletcher goes on a baroque ramble into the Everton area down the right. He cuts inside, and looks to shoot. Then he slips. But flicks the ball wide left to Johnson, who shoots. His effort clangs off Coleman’s hip, flies across the face of goal, and in off Defoe! What good fortune! And what a result this will be for Sunderland!
2.26pm BST
83 min: A huge penalty shout as Lukaku whips a ball across the face of goal from the left. Coleman’s coming in at the far post, but goes down before he can connect with his boot. Defoe’s standing just behind him. He’d tapped the full-back’s boot. Ever so lightly, but he tapped it. That should have been a penalty. But at full speed it didn’t look clear, and was an understandable oversight. Who’d be a referee?
2.23pm BST
81 min: Lennon bears down on the Sunderland box, making good along the inside-right channel with extreme prejudice. He’s about to shoot, but is barged off it by Gomez at the last. Brilliant last-ditch challenge!
2.22pm BST
80 min: Space for Coleman down the right. He whips a ball towards the near post, and it’s deflected, spinning wildly. Pantilimon drops to the floor to gather brilliantly, and makes sure he doesn’t concede a corner. A fine time for sticky gloves. Great keeping.
2.21pm BST
79 min: Barkley and Mirallas exchange a one-two down the middle, then the ball’s slipped to Lukaku, eight yards out. He’s in on goal! But Sunderland breathe again, again: Lukaku clumsily hacks over, and in any case he’s offside. This is fingernail-bothering stuff for the Black Cats.
2.19pm BST
77 min: Sunderland’s away support, robbed of the opening half hour of this game by The Man, are certainly getting their money’s worth now. They’re a quarter of an hour from a precious victory. And they’re belting out their favourite numbers right now. A long, long, long way to go. Still, you’ve got to enjoy it while you can.
2.18pm BST
75 min: In the last five minutes, Everton have enjoyed 90% possession. 90%! Sunderland can’t carry on like this. And they’re nearly undone again, this time by McCarthy, who embarks on a high-speed slalom down the inside-left channel, eventually getting himself one on one with Pantilimon. He should score, but the head’s suddenly full of bubbling-hot blood, and he blasts over. A slightly tight angle on the left, but no excuse really. Sunderland breathe again.
2.16pm BST
74 min: Phew. How did Sunderland survive all that?! Some respite as Defoe skitters down the right wing, and is upended by Coleman, who’s booked. Then the breather continues with a couple of subs: Graham is swapped for Johnson, while Baines, who has picked up a knock, is replaced by Garbutt.
2.14pm BST
72 min: It’s two banks of four in front of the Sunderland area. Everton need something special to break them down. Coleman curls a shot from the right, but it’s headed clear by a stooping Brown. Then Mirallas has a lash from the left-hand corner of the D. That’s deflected out for a corner - from which McCarthy, 20 yards out down the inside-right channel, rattles the bottom of the left-hand post!
2.12pm BST
70 min: Another corner for Everton, this time down the left, Lukaku having busied himself with purpose. This is the home side’s 14th corner of the afternoon. Nothing comes of it. But this can’t end 0-1, can it?
2.10pm BST
68 min: It’s end-to-end excitement now. Sunderland win a corner down the right. Graham goes in bravely at the near post, but Everton sweep upfield, Baines swinging a ball in from the left, Lennon so nearly getting on the end of it in the middle. Coates slides in to concede a corner, which leads to Mirallas skelping hopelessly over the bar from distance. Sunderland are desperate, and this is leading to some desperately entertaining football.
2.09pm BST
66 min: From the corner, some pinball nonsense in the box. The ball breaks to the edge of the area for Stones, who takes a spectacular fresh-air swipe. Another corner is eventually earned. Before it’s taken, it’s Defoe’s turn to receive a booking for some rash behaviour. The corner’s a non-event.
2.07pm BST
65 min: van Aanholt isn’t the only full back with silky skills out there today. Coleman juggles the ball as he cuts in from the right, Jim Baxter on speed. His keepie uppies earn space for a shot, which is deflected wide. Gomez is booked for some nonsense in the build up.
2.05pm BST
63 min: Barry is sacrificed for Mirallas. Play resumes, and Coleman comes in from the right to have a shot. He blooters it straight into Gomez’s startled coupon. Ooyah! Brave defending there. How desperately Sunderland will fight to keep hold of this precious lead.
2.04pm BST
61 min: Baines swings it into the area from the left. It’s headed clear, but only to Osman, whose first-time snap header goes wide right.
2.03pm BST
60 min: Cattermole upends McCarthy as the Everton man goes on a slalom down the inside-left. He’s down receiving treatment, but it doesn’t look serious. A pause, and this will be a free kick in a very dangerous position.
2.01pm BST
57 min: A Garrincha-esque dribble by van Aanholt down the left. He diddles Coleman and Lennon with an outstanding ball-on-string dragback, and suddenly he’s clear on goal! But he’s coming in at a very tight angle, and can only shank the ball well wide left. In the middle Defoe has a face on, as he was waiting for a tap in. But you can’t blame the left-back - who has been magnificent in both defence and attack so far today - for shooting there. He’d earned the right, and that would have been a sensational goal.
1.59pm BST
55 min: Everton try to respond immediately. Lennon breaks down the right and crosses. The ball hits Gomez’s arm, and the home side claim a penalty, but they’re not getting it, the players were standing right next to each other. Barry tries a curler towards the top left, but it’s easily claimed by Pantilimon.
1.57pm BST
Larsson breaks down the right. His cross is half cleared, but only to Gomez, 25 yards out, down the inside-left channel. His shot flies into the box, but it’s heading wide right. But it balloons off the inside of Graham’s left leg - the striker’s facing away from goal - and loops over Howard, onto the base of the right-hand post, and into the net!
1.55pm BST
52 min: Sunderland have been clinging on, and yet they could easily have been ahead here. A ball’s swung into the Everton box from a deep position down the Sunderland right. Graham breaks into the box and meets it first time, but it’s a dreadful hoick, well wide right of the target. No matter, though, because in Sunderland’s next attack ...
1.53pm BST
51 min: Sunderland are being pressed right back. Baines whips a low ball into the area from the left. It’s hacked out for a corner. From the set piece, Lukaku should plant a header on goal, but though he meets the ball eight yards out, level with the left-hand post, he does so with his shoulder, and his effort, such as it is, flies harmlessly out to the left of the target.
1.52pm BST
49 min: ... Everton come this close to scoring. Jagielka flicks on from the right, and Lukaku lurks with a view to nutting home from a couple of yards. But Cattermole rises to get his eyebrows on the ball, sending it inches wide of the right-hand post. Nearly an own goal, and yet that was a brilliant intervention. From the next corner, Everton nearly score again! Jagielka meets this one at the far post, and his header’s going into the top-left corner. But Pantilimon palms it over the bar. Sunderland finally clear their lines. But they can’t keep on like this.
1.50pm BST
48 min: A loose ball from Stones, and for a second Defoe and Graham look threatening on the edge of the Everton box. But Howard comes out to deal with the situation. Coleman goes up the other end and wins a corner off van Aanholt down the right. Barry is found at the near post. He twists and turns, and earns another corner. From which ...
1.48pm BST
46 min: Sunderland are on the front foot early doors, with van Aanholt threatening to break clear into the Everton box from a tight position near the corner flag. He’s crowded out of it.
1.47pm BST
It’s the 30th anniversary of Everton’s great European triumph, the 1985 Cup Winners Cup. Or it will be come Friday. Accordingly, the famous duo of Howard Kendall and Colin Harvey, midfield marvels turned managerial geniuses, were on the pitch at half time waving the trophy about. To great cheers, let the record state. Will that spur the home side on to great things in this second half? We’ll soon find out, because Sunderland have set the ball rolling again! No changes.
1.42pm BST
Half-time entertainment: “Thought you might enjoy some half-time reading,” begins Steve Mogan. “I recently re-started my Subbuteo-aping football comic at thepitifulgame.com (twitter: @thepitifulgame). I’m really rubbish at self-promotion so the only hook I have is that Iain Macintosh once called it ‘charming’ and if that doesn’t convince you to have a look then literally nothing will.” Hey, if it’s good enough for Macintosh, it’s good enough for us. Story number five, Woof, is magnificent.
1.33pm BST
... but there’s no time to take it. Frustration for Everton, who have sparkled intermittently in attack. But Sunderland would take this at full time. It’d be a priceless point for them as they battle relegation. It’s all set up for a fascinating second half. No flipping!
1.32pm BST
45 min +1: There’s one minute of added time, and Everton nearly get their reward. Barkley slides a pass straight down the middle for Lukaku, who turns in the area and shoots, only to see his shot blocked the second it leaves his boot by Jones. Corner ...
1.31pm BST
44 min: Wickham has a little time and space down the inside-left channel. He slides a pass inside for Larsson, who should shoot from the edge of the box but shifts it back wide to the striker. Wickham makes a little room for himself then sends a weak shot towards the bottom-left corner, where Howard gathers. That situation could, indeed should, have bothered the Everton keeper more than it eventually did. Larsson strangely shot-shy. That would have been one of the great sucker punches, because Everton have been dominant in this first half.
1.29pm BST
42 min: They’re nearly opened up here, though. Osman has been brilliant today, and he nearly sets one up, then nearly scores one. He slides a ball down the inside-left channel for Lukaku, who looks to dink one over Pantilimon as he enters the area. The keeper saves brilliantly. The ball breaks to Osman to the right of the D. His shot is heading into the bottom right - but that one’s parried by the keeper too! Sheer brilliance by the keeper. Brown is booked for a disgraceful lunge on McCarthy in the middle of all that. Clumsy more than malicious, but he clanked the Everton midfielder’s standing leg. Ooyah, oof.
1.26pm BST
40 min: Larsson with a free kick to the right of the centre circle. It’s blootered upfield sans wit, and plucked from the sky by a yawning Howard. Sunderland are doing bugger all in attack. But they’re well organised at the back.
1.24pm BST
39 min: Coleman wins a corner off Wickham down the right. Perhaps that’s what happened on 31 mins. Anyway, this one’s looped to the back post, where Barry battles with Wickham. Another corner, this time on the left. That one’s dealt with by Sunderland’s offside trap, Everton trying to work something down the left, the flag going up.
1.22pm BST
37 min: It’s gone a bit scrappy, this. Dick Advocaat would take the point. A long way to go for that, though.
1.22pm BST
35 min: Sunderland’s away support has turned up, having been conned out of half-an-hour’s football by The Man. The BT Sport camera pans across them. One young gentleman stares right into the lens, unblinking, and flicks several Vs to the nation. No aggressive jabs, he’s got a smooth, insouciant, almost gentle stroke. There’s a strange beauty in that.
1.19pm BST
33 min: Some lovely one-touch stuff by Everton down the right. Coleman slips the ball inside for Lennon, who spins on a sixpence to make room on the edge of the box, then slides a pass forward for Osman. Osman shoots, but he falls backwards as he does so, no danger on Pantilimon’s goal. But that was a very pretty move.
1.17pm BST
31 min: A corner for Everton. I’m not sure how it was won, and it’s easily cleared by Sunderland. Pulitzer, please!
1.16pm BST
29 min: Wow, this would have been some goal. A Sunderland throw down the left wing, 30 yards from goal. Wickham turns to meet it, and whips a diagonal effort towards the top-right corner. That’s a sizzling effort. In fairness, it’s a few feet wide of the right-hand post, but hit so cleanly and with such venom that it still looked pretty impressive, and drew the breath from plenty of onlookers as it left his boot.
1.13pm BST
27 min: Sunderland need all the luck they can get right now. But they’re not getting it. Defoe decides to take a dig from 20 yards, looking for the top-right corner from a central position. It might be heading in, it might be going just wide, but it doesn’t matter once it balloons off the back of his team-mate Graham, who made a futile attempt to get out of the way from close range. Goal kick.
1.11pm BST
25 min: Plenty of Everton possession, most of it sterile. Osman works a little space down the left, but his cross is way too deep. “On the subject of midtable teams slacking off,” begins Shaun Wilkinson, bringing up the subject of midtable teams slacking off, “BT Sport co-commentator Michael Owen just said: ‘It’s pretty hard to go onto a football pitch and just not try.’ Cue thousands of raised eyebrows from Newcastle supporters across the land.”
1.08pm BST
22 min: Larsson cuts in from the right and has a pop from 25 yards. The ball deflects off Barry’s toe, back onto Larsson’s shin, and out for a goal kick, many yards to the right of goal. It’s as close as Sunderland have come.
1.07pm BST
20 min: McCarthy releases Coleman down the right. Coleman slides a lovely ball into the six-yard box, where Lukaku prepares to slot home. Coates slides in brilliantly to block. The ball hits his arm, accidentally, as he zips around on the floor. It’d have been a harsh penalty to award, though you’ve certainly seen them given. The referee errs on the generous side, and Sunderland clear their lines after a fashion. “Do you think that Ross Barkley was looking for a yellow card for diving there, as part of the plan to get out of next season’s Europa League?” wonders John
Carver
Barry.
1.04pm BST
18 min: Sunderland have weathered that particular Evertonian storm. For now, anyway. It’s allowed them to launch a couple of experimental balls upfield, in the hope of releasing first Wickham down the right, then Graham down the left. Neither comes off. But it’s a little better from the away side, who have been on the back foot for the most part.
1.02pm BST
15 min: A determined run by van Aanholt down the left. He’s threatening to break into the box, and is shouldered in the back by Coleman. That’s a free kick. Or it should be. The referee waves play on. Coleman wasn’t last man or anything, it wouldn’t have even been a booking, but Sunderland deserved a free kick and a chance to load the box.
1.00pm BST
13 min: Osman snaffles a loose ball in the midfield, and plays a stunning first-time pass straight down the middle to release Lukaku. Call it a long ball if you like, but it’s perfectly weighted, a beautiful ball. Lukaku should score, really, but he attempts to round the onrushing Pantilimon on the right, and the keeper Schmeichels a save. Everton recycle the ball, Osman looking for the bottom-left corner from the edge of the D, but that’s wide enough for Pantilimon to throw some had-it-covered shapes. Osman looks in the mood this lunchtime.
12.57pm BST
11 min: Barkley earns a free kick for Everton, diving over Coates’ outstretched leg as the pair challenge for a 50-50 ball. That’s outrageous. The free kick’s shuttled out to the right, Coleman whipping the ball into the area. Wickham, back to put in a defensive shift, heads clear with confidence. But the home side are knocking at the door here.
12.55pm BST
10 min: Everton are pushing Sunderland back here. Baines scuttles around on the left flank. He gets his ankles clipped, ridiculously so, by an over-eager Defoe. Free kick, to the left of the box. Baines takes it himself, and loops it to the far post. Stones would have met it with his head, were he 19 feet tall.
12.53pm BST
8 min: Baines in a little space down the left. He slides a ball inside for Lukaku, who attempts a snapshot from six yards, but Coates blocks brilliantly. Everton come straight back at Sunderland, with Osman picking up possession on the left, dropping a shoulder to nudge the ball inside, and curling an exquisite effort towards the right-hand portion of the goal. If it’s on target, it’s in, because Pantilimon is rooted to the spot, never getting across, but the ball sails just wide of the right-hand post. Lovely effort.
12.51pm BST
6 min: Cattermole plays an awful ball through the centre circle for Coates. The big man’s got a lot of talent, but he’s never the most mobile, and can’t retrieve the situation. Everton stream forward through Lukaku, and he’s got options ahead of him, but control’s lost pretty quickly. Scrappy play all round, with a few nerves betraying Sunderland already.
12.49pm BST
4 min: This game has started at 100 miles per hour. A lot of rat-a-tat passing in the middle of the park, by both sides, several attempted one-twos with nothing quite coming off. Still, here’s to their ambition.
12.47pm BST
2 min: An early chance for Sunderland, with Wickham finding space in the Everton area down the left, reaching the byline, and pulling the ball back into the centre. Everton are light at the back, but luckily for them, Wickham’s pull-back is behind Defoe, and the home side can hack clear.
12.46pm BST
And we’re off! Everton get the ball rolling, kicking towards the Park End. Baines chases a long ball down the left, but can’t quite keep it in. Shame for Everton, because Sunderland were all over the shop at the back there.
12.44pm BST
The teams are out! Phil Jagiekla and Lee Cattermole lead their pals out, the theme to Z Cars blasting as always from the stadium speakers. A fine atmosphere at Goodison despite quite a lot of away supporters being grifted by The Man. We’ll be underway in a minute!
12.38pm BST
Sunderland won’t have a full set of fans to cheer them on today. There’s been an accident on the motorway, and many of them are stuck in traffic. However nobody can be bothered to delay the kick-off, which seems a bit rum. What difference would it make? Ah, it’s on television isn’t it, and BT Sport have some rugby to show after. The folk who pay the piper demand a coruscating jazz solo. Dance, travelling supporters, dance! Move those tootsies double-quick!
12.29pm BST
Sunderland really going for it, as they have to, with three up front. Ostensibly, anyway; no doubt tactical jiggery-pokery will lead to players dropping back in the ad-hoc fashion. Their back line is boosted by the continued presence of the SNP’s Seb Coates, and the dropping to the bench of music-hall turn Santiago Vergini. Everton name a pretty strong line up, too, so this promises to be a great match. And everyone will look good as well, classic aesthetics very much the watchword. Everton wear their famous blue shirts (pictured here in black and white) ...
12.12pm BST
Everton: Howard, Coleman, Stones, Jagielka, Baines, McCarthy, Barry, Lennon, Barkley, Osman, Lukaku.
Subs: Robles, Garbutt, Besic, McGeady, Mirallas, Naismith, Kone.
Sunderland: Pantilimon, Jones, Coates, Brown, van Aanholt, Larsson, Cattermole, Gomez, Wickham, Graham, Defoe.
Subs: Mannone, Reveillere, Vergini, Bridcutt, Johnson, Buckley, Fletcher.
11.45am BST
Just for a while back there, it looked like Everton might be in a wee spot of bother. A woeful run of form stretching from late November until early March saw them drop disconcertingly close to the relegation stragglers. But no worries: just before it got too hairy, they stepped on the gas. Roberto Martinez’s side are in excellent form. They’ve won five of their last seven, a run which has included four home wins on the bounce without a single goal being conceded. The Blues are safe and snug in mid-table, with the metaphorical cigar on, the symbolic feet on the illustrative desk, the allegorical beachtowels spread out on the connotative sun lounger.
Sunderland are in reasonable nick right at this moment, too, having taken seven points from the last 12 available. Decent form in anybody’s book. Problem is, they’ve been a pitiful mess for most of the rest of the season, and firefighter Dick Advocaat may have arrived on the scene too late to avoid yet another Premier League relegation. (If they go down this season, they’ll join record-holders Crystal Palace on four relegations from this particular division. Quite an eye opener, that, especially as Sunderland are still, in terms of English league titles won, the sixth most successful club in the country.)
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