Sunderland’s unbeaten start in the Premier League at the Stadium of Light continued as Granit Xhaka’s deflected strike earned a 1-1 draw with Everton on Monday.
The Black Cats’ captain got the equaliser just 42 seconds after half-time, with a big deflection off James Tarkowski helping it in off the underside of the bar.
A strong start by Everton saw them take a first-half lead, with Iliman Ndiaye extending his scoring run with a superb finish at the end of a sensational run.
Jack Grealish struck the post and Thierno Barry squandered a golden chance to double Everton’s lead, and that miss ultimately proved costly for the Toffees as Sunderland fought back.
Regis Le Bris’ side would have gone second with a win, but instead move up to fourth on 18 points, while Everton rise to 14th on 12.
How the match unfolded
Everton almost took the lead within 12 seconds when James Garner shot just wide, but the visitors were rewarded for a positive start in the 15th minute.
Barry muscled Noah Sadiki off the ball to set Ndiaye away, and he danced past three defenders on the edge of the box before bending a left-footed strike beyond a static Robin Roefs.
Everton could have had more before the break, with Grealish’s strike hitting the foot of the post, before an unmarked Barry blazed a glorious chance over the bar from inside the six-yard box.
Sunderland upped the pressure at the end of the first half without reward, but a fast start to the second half paid off, as Xhaka’s drive diverted in off Tarkowski’s outstretched leg.
Jordan Pickford kept the score down three minutes later, recovering well to palm Enzo Le Fee’s deflected shot off the line while on the floor.
Sunderland saw Trai Hume and Nordi Mukiele miss close-range headers, but Everton could have snatched victory late on, had Carlos Alcaraz shown more composure when played through by Grealish.
Xhaka leads from the front
Sunderland had second place in the table in their sights as they made a welcome return to the Stadium of Light, which has proven a fortress so far.
The Black Cats have been known for successfully coming from behind this season, though they were fortunate not to be further behind as Everton controlled the opening 30 minutes.
Le Bris had praised Xhaka for “leading by example” in the build-up to this match, and the midfielder showcased his experience by helping Sunderland get a foothold after Barry’s miss.
Xhaka will feel he more than deserved his stroke of luck as his first Sunderland goal cannoned in off the bar.
While the hosts dominated in the second half, they struggled to carve out more clear-cut chances. Top-scorer Wilson Isidor hit one over the bar, before scuffing a volley straight at Pickford.
Penalty shouts also greeted a potential handball from Michael Keane in the box, but a VAR review stuck with the on-field decision of no spot-kick as Sunderland’s frustration continued to grow, with those headers from Hume and Mukiele the closest they came to a winner.
#SUNEVE – 73’
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The referee’s call of no penalty to Sunderland was checked and confirmed by VAR – with Keane’s arm deemed to be in a justifiable position.
Sunderland have now gone unbeaten in five home games and will put that streak to the test against Premier League leaders Arsenal next.
Toffees’ attack falters again
After Everton suffered back-to-back defeats to Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, David Moyes returned to Sunderland in need of a change in fortunes.
Everton have struggled on the road this season, but showed no signs of that with their fast start. The Toffees came within inches of a lead straight from kick-off as Garner drilled wide.
In an attempt to get Everton firing, Moyes opted to change strikers, with Barry replacing Beto.
Barry played a key role in that opener, cleanly winning the ball off Sadiki.
However, his first Everton goal remains elusive, though he will not have better chances to score than his close-range miscue.
Moyes will not have felt comfortable at half-time with only a one-goal lead given their chances.
A sluggish start to the second half, was not helped by star man Ndiaye, who has four goals this season, limping off near the hour.
Following Barry’s miss in the 28th minute, Everton did not have another shot until Vitalii Mykolenko stung Roefs’ palms in the 85th minute.
A home game against Fulham on Saturday now carries extra pressure, as Everton search for just their second win since August.
Club reports
Sunderland report | Everton report
What the managers said
Regis Le Bris: "It's a good point. We didn't start well. They were better than us for 25/30 minutes. We felt they were a good side and had many threats, the ability to exploit our turnovers, and we were not as consistent enough during this first part of the game to be competitive.
"But we switched on the last part of the first half, and the second half was much better and we deserved to even score a second goal."
David Moyes: "We did all the things we hoped we would [at the start], it was a case of would we score. Eli [Iliman Ndiaye] scored a very good individual goal, Jack [Grealish] hits the post and when we missed [Thierno Barry's] chance we didn't have enough, then we conceded immediately after kick-off. Goals make the difference and can change how you feel as a manager.
"Coming to Sunderland, a point is not a bad result, but after 30 minutes I was feeling 'we're alright here, we should get a result'. You could see it was a lucky goal [for Sunderland], it was a deflection but if you shoot, sometimes you get a bit of luck and they got a bit lucky."
Next PL fixtures
Key facts
Sunderland have 18 points from their opening 10 Premier League games this season (five wins, three draws, two losses), the most by a promoted side since Hull City in 2008/09 (20).
Everton have drawn more Premier League games than any other side since David Moyes’ return to the club in January last season (10), while only three sides have more points on the road than their 21 in that time (Arsenal – 28, Crystal Palace – 25, Brentford – 23).
Sunderland have won more points in the Premier League from losing positions than any other side this season (eight), only winning more in the competition in 1999/00 (15), 2000/01 (13), 2015/16 (12) and 2007/08 (nine).
75 per cent of Sunderland's Premier League goals this season have come in the second half (9/12), only Brighton & Hove Albion (76.5 per cent - 13/17) have a higher proportion in 2025/26.