Sunderland and Everton were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw at the Stadium of Light as the hosts came from behind to salvage a share of the spoils and remain in the Champions League qualification places on Monday night.

Iliman Ndiaye grabbed the opener, thanks to meandering past a host of Black Cats defenders before finding the back of the net with a clinical finish, but the Toffees did not take advantage of opportunities to double their lead as Jack Grealish struck the woodwork with a long range strike and Thierno Barry missed the target from four yards out.

Everton boss David Moyes saw those misses come back to haunt his side as Sunderland, under the stewardship of French tactician Regis Le Bris, hit back in the first minute of the second half as Granit Xhaka’s low strike deflected off the outstretched foot of James Tarkowski.

Sunderland Player Ratings

Robin Roefs – 6/10

Roefs could do nothing to stop Ndiaye giving Everton the lead and he was largely untested in the second period, but he was a safe pair of hands when it came to dealing with set pieces.

Nordi Mukiele – 6/10

Having been booked inside the opening 20 minutes, which resulted in him walking a tightrope for the remainder of the contest, Mukiele recovered and made some important interventions.

Dan Ballard – 6/10

Ballard kept Thierno Barry quiet for the majority of the Frenchman’s time on the pitch. He also won a number of aerial battles and made countless clearances.

Lutsharel Geertruida – 7/10

Geertruida continued his promising form since joining Sunderland and recovered well after being unable to stop Ndiaye on his buccaneering run before opening the scoring.

Trai Hume – 6/10

Hume was booked for a reckless challenge on Grealish and struggled to deal with the England international at times.

Noah Sadiki – 7/10

Sadiki lost his discipline and was yellow carded for a rash tackle on James Garner, but he played a key role in Sunderland regaining possession in the middle of the park.

Granit Xhaka – 8/10

Xhaka, who is on a contract worth £110,000-per-week before bonuses, was among the best signings of the summer transfer window and put in another outstanding display. His deflected strike levelled matters less than a minute after the interval.

Reinildo Mandava – 6/10

Mandava put in a battling performance down Sunderland’s left-hand side, but it was not enough to grab all three points.

Bertrand Traore – 6/10

Traore was a threat going forward but also not afraid to do his fair share of defending, with him battling to dispossess Jack Grealish.

Wilson Isidor – 7/10

Although he missed a golden opportunity to give Sunderland the lead, when he mistimed a shot with less than 15 minutes to play, Isidor gave Everton centre-back pairing Tarkowski and Michael Keane plenty of problems.

Enzo Le Fee – 7/10

Le Fee’s brilliant footwork led to Xhaka grabbing the equaliser and his influence on the game grew in the second half.

Sub – Chemsdine Talbi (82′) – 5/10

Talbi had little time to make an impact after coming on as a late substitute.

Sub – Brian Brobbey (83′) – 5/10

Brobbey had little time to make an impact after coming on as a late substitute.

Everton

Jordan Pickford – 7/10

Pickford could do nothing about Sunderland’s leveller, following a deflection off Tarkowski, but he made a stunning save to deny Isidor when he got a touch on a long range Le Fee strike.

Jake O’Brien – 6/10

O’Brien did his best to stifle Le Fee, but he could not stop the Sunderland wide forward’s growing influence in the second period.

Michael Keane – 7/10

Despite being fortunate not to give away a penalty in the second half, when the ball struck his arm, Keane was the best performer in the backline.

James Tarkowski – 6/10

Sunderland’s equaliser deflected off Tarkowski, but he made a number of important clearances.

Vitalii Mykolenko – 6/10

Mykolenko tested Roefs with a long range strike, which was Everton’s first shot despite it coming in the 85th minute.

Idrissa Gana Gueye – 6/10

Gueye used his experience to sniff out danger and regained possession in crucial moments.

James Garner – 6/10

After going close to giving Everton a first minute lead, when his long range strike whistled past the post, Garner struggled to deal with Xhaka in stages of the second half.

Iliman Ndiaye – 7/10

Ndiaye gave Everton the lead with a sensational solo effort, where he showed his strength and quick feet to hold off a host of Sunderland defenders. The Toffees will be hoping he is not on course for a spell on the sidelines after being forced off with an injury soon after the hour mark.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall – 5/10

Dewsbury-Hall’s struggles to rediscover his best form continued as he was wasteful in possession and unable to make a serious impact.

Jack Grealish – 7/10

Grealish was among Everton’s biggest threats in the final third of the pitch, having rattled the post and found Thierno Barry with a cross he should have scored from.

Thierno Barry – 3/10

Having signed for £27million during the summer, Barry was given a chance to show his quality. But he missed a glorious opportunity from four yards out, when he somehow missed the target after Grealish found him with an inviting cross. He was substituted early in the second half.

Sub – Beto (57′) – 4/10

Beto did not register a single shot after coming off the bench, but he made five clearances in the defensive third of the pitch.

Sub – Dwight McNeil (62′) – 4/10

McNeil did not make a big impact after replacing the injured Ndiaye.

Sub – Carlos Alcaraz (83′) – 3/10

Alcaraz had a wonderful opportunity to grab a late winner when Xhaka gifted Everton possession in stoppage time, but he took too long on the ball and was dispossessed. He was also booked moments later, which componded matters.

Sub – Tim Iroegbunam (83′) – 5/10

Iroegbunam had little time to make an impact after coming on as a late substitute.

Mams Taylor joined The Ariel Helwani Show on the 3rd of November to clear the air about the news that Andrew Tate has joined Misfits Boxing, and that he’s even replaced KSI as the CEO.

KSI co-founded Misfits Boxing with Kalle and Nisse Sauerland, together with Taylor, and transformed YouTuber scraps into a genuine fight franchise. It’s already one of DAZN’s hottest combat sport properties, selling out arenas with influencer grudge matches and crossovers that tap a younger audience traditional boxing struggles to reach. It’s chaotic, and one hot mess. But some way, somehow — it works.

But news of Tate joining the company was a metaphorical grenade. Not just because it launched Tate into a fight against Misfits heavyweight title-holder Chase DeMoor in Dubai on the 20th of December, but because Tate will do so having seemingly ousted KSI from the company. Tate, after all, anointed himself combat executive officer.

Taylor told Helwani what it all meant on Monday.

‘KSI Wasn’t Happy’ Andrew Tate Replaced Him in Misfits

Helwani, who covers the breadth of combat sports including sports entertainment properties like WWE and AEW, asked Taylor, “as a fan of sports entertainment,” whether Tate replacing KSI was “a work or a shoot” — meaning, was it scripted, or was it real.

“I guess you could see it’s a work from my end because it’s what needed to happen for the [good of the] business,” said Taylor.

Taylor added that the role is an intensive one and likely something Tate has a greater chance at excelling in as he’s throwing himself into a main event slot. KSI, meanwhile, has other obligations that he’s committed to, perhaps risking spreading himself too thin were he to remain in his CEO role at Misfits.

“KSI has his equity, he’s an equity partner, but I don’t think he’s suited for the CEO role right now as his focus is on other things — PRIME, music, YouTube, Britain’s Got Talent, Sidemen. I want him to be happy with what he’s doing. When he gets motivated to fight again, it’s a different conversation.”

Taylor made repeated comments that: “KSI wasn’t happy about it.”

“I think professionally, we got everything in order. This is obviously going to be a bump in the road, but I think it’s for the greater good of business. It’s his business as well as mine, but I think he’ll come around,” Mams, who remains KSI’s manager, said. “We do a phenomenal job together. I think everyone wins in the long run.”

Watch the clip in full right here:

Should Tate defeat DeMoor, then the controversial influencer’s infamy, both in podcasting and in the ring, will only grow, heightening his chances of competing with an even bigger name than DeMoor. As GIVE ME SPORT recently reported, there’s a five-fight run that could see Tate fight some of the biggest names in crossover boxing, and legitimate combat sport.

One of those names we mentioned was KSI. For Taylor, it’s something he’d welcome. “I would love it if that’s where we’re headed,” he said of a Tate vs KSI fight for the CEO role. “It’s a great storyline.”

Floyd Mayweather has been called out on social media following his recent comments about Israel. The former boxer’s words come amid the ongoing war in Gaza.

Following the October 7th 2023 attack by Hamas forces, where over 1,000 people were killed and 250 people were taken hostage, Israel has waged a two-year war in Gaza. It has resulted in the deaths of more than 68,800 Palestinians, according to the territory’s health ministry.

Israel has faced widespread condemnation during the war, with calls for FIFA to ban the nation from international football intensifying following the United Nations Commission of Inquiry ruling that the country had committed genocide against Palestinians. Israel has denied the accusations.

Mayweather has made two trips to Israel following the terrorist attacks on October 7th 2023. And the boxing great reaffirmed his commitment to Israel at a recent Republican Jewish Coalition conference in Las Vegas.

He said: “I’m not with you guys 10 percent, 50 percent. I will always be the voice for the people in Israel. I will always stand behind the country of Israel.

Watch Mayeather’s speech below:

The comments have resulted in a mixed reaction online. Some have chosen to praise Mayweather, with a self-described Zionist writing: “Thank you, @FloydMayweather for never backing down and always standing with Israel and the Jewish people!”

Others, however, are upset that the 48-year-old has decided to lend his support to the country, labelling his speech “disgraceful.” Another person said: “Floyd Mayweather made clear that he always supports Israel, while a UN report released in September 2025 stated that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.”

Despite the United States helping broker a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, which came into effect on 10th October, the situation remains tense. As part of the agreement, Hamas was ordered to return all 20 living and 28 hostages it was holding, with all living hostages released in exchange for 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 detainees on 13th October.

However, both groups have accused the other of breaking the agreement. Last week, Israel launched new strikes on Gaza, resulting in the deaths of at least 104 Palestinians after they claimed Hamas had killed an Israeli soldier. Hamas said it had “no connection” to the attack.