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.
