All the form guides pointed to a home win at Goodison Park on Saturday, but Sunderland pulled off a vital 2-0 victory. So, how did they keep Everton at bay?
The 2-0 win took Dick Advocaat’s men out of the bottom three and above neighbours Newcastle United plus Hull in the Barclays Premier League table. Now they stand two points above the drop zone with three games to play and with a game in hand over all of their rivals.
Going into the weekend’s game, not many gave the Mackems a fighting chance against the Toffees. Roberto Martinez’s side were unbeaten at home in 2015, and they hadn’t failed to score in a Goodison league game on the last eight occasions, furthermore they hadn’t conceded at home in seven games. As if more bad omens were needed, Sunderland hadn’t won on the road since the December 21, 2014 win at Newcastle.
However, the Black Cats turned all that on its head, and survived some wayward finishing and rotten luck on the hosts’ part. Two deflected second half goals – via Danny Graham and Jermaine Defoe – proved to be the difference, but in total Everton managed 22 shots on goal, but only four were on target.
Sunderland ‘keeper Costel Pantilimon was only forced into action three times to make routine saves, and a fourth effort from James McCarthy hit the post for Everton.
So how else did the visitors’ defence keep the hosts at bay?
| Position | Team | Blocked Cross | Offside Provoked | Total Clearance | Effective Clearance | Duel Lost | Duel Won | Interception Won | Goals Conceded | Appearances | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wes Brown | DF | Sunderland | 1 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 90 |
| Billy Jones | DF | Sunderland | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 90 |
| Patrick van Aanholt | DF | Sunderland | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 90 |
| Sebastián Coates | DF | Sunderland | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 90 |
The figures show that the whole back four worked as a unit, with a 100% effective clearance rate across the 90 minutes.
A stiff rearguard action was in place, with the back four blocking crosses, winning aerial duels, intercepting passes and provoking offsides. Perhaps the standout performer overall on the day was Uruguayan Sebastian Coates.
It was a stunning victory that few predicted and which has thrown the relegation battle wide open. This was compounded with results later in the day with Hull and Newcastle dropping points, and rivals Aston Villa and Leicester City picking up a maximum haul.
Certainly Advocaat will be using the result to inject some confidence into his players for the run-in, particularly with the club’s final two home games being visits to Arsenal and Chelsea.
Next week Sunderland face a resurgent Leicester at home in a huge game where maximum points is the only objective, and given Leicester’s current form of six wins from seven games, Sunderland’s defence will have to be just as miserly next weekend.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
