High-flying Sunderland collected another impressive point in their Premier League return, drawing Everton 1-1 at the Stadium of Light on Monday.
Iliman Ndiaye scored in the first half but left the game with an injury in the second frame shortly after Granit Xhaka’s deflected strike brought the Black Cats level.
WATCH – Sunderland v Everton full match replay
Former Sunderland men David Moyes and Jordan Pickford would’ve expected all three points early but may be happy to take a point back to Everton at the final whistle.
The Black Cats’ 18th points through 10 matches keep them fourth, while Everton’s 12th point leaves them 14th in this tightly-congested early-season Premier League table.
Regis Le Bris might be a wizard
There are good coaches and bad coaches, tinkerers and motivators, and sometimes someone is as many as three of the four. Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris may well be breathing the rarefied air that comes with another descriptor: a wizard. The 49-year-old has utilized a 4-3-3 a handful of times, a 4-2-3-1 a few others, and then pulled out a 5-4-1 in beating Chelsea 2-1 in Week 9. So which did he go to on Monday? None of the above! Le Bris’ team looked like a 3-4-3 for a lot of this match, and they only grew in confidence as the game reached its final stages. Sunderland have recruited well, don’t get us wrong, but what Le Bris is getting out of this team is very, very good. Health has been helpful, as Granit Xhaka, Robin Roefs, and Nordi Mukiele are their best players and have been available to boot. But they’ve also been without Habib Diarra and Simon Adingra. They don’t lack in confidence, and Xhaka sounded disappointed that the Black Cats didn’t get another win on Monday. The top half of the table still feels a bit of a pipe dream, but Sunderland are staying up and their boss is the front-runner for Coach of the Year.
What’s next?
Everton host Fulham at 10am ET Saturday, just before Sunderland host Arsenal at 12:30pm.
How to watch Sunderland vs Everton live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 3pm ET Monday (November 3)
Venue: Stadium of Light — Sunderland
TV Channel: USA
Streaming: Watch live on NBC.com
Sunderland vs Everton final score: 1-1
Iliman Ndiaye 14', Granit Xhaka 46'
Sunderland vs Everton live updates — by Nick Mendola
Subs
Everton remove Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Jake O’Brien for Tim Iroegbunam and Carlos Alvarez.
Sunderland insert Brian Brobbey and Chemsdine Talbi for Wilson Isidor and Bertrand Traore.
Wilson Isidor flubs chance
Really good from Sunderland on the right, but in-form French striker Wilson Isidor loses his focus and snatches at a near-post chance.
Iliman Ndiaye injury
Everton’s star playmaker is exiting the game with an apparently leg injury, though he walks off without too visible of a limp.
Dwight McNeil takes his place. Pretty good player to have coming off the bench!
Everton sub
Beto replaces Barry, and almost immediately Everton get the long ball opportunity best-served for Barry.
Everton must feel a bit snake-bit at the position.
1-1, 61'.
Great save!
This time Le Fee is cued up by Xhaka, and a hard shot takes a hard turn off Wilson Isidor.
Jordan Pickford somehow recovers from a prone position to flash his arm at the ball and slap it away from goal.
Granit Xhaka goal — Sunderland 1-1 Everton
Brilliant for the Black Cats and a rare mistake from James Tarkowski.
Enzo Le Fee picks up a loose ball and sets it back to Granit Xhaka outside the 18.
It’s a hard, low strike and Jordan Pickford looks like he has the angle covered only to see Tarkowski flash his left boot at the ball and deflect the ball into the goal.
Halftime — Sunderland 0-1 Everton
Jordan Pickford and the Toffees are holding his childhood club back so far, but Sunderland have yet to put a shot on target.
Pickford’s first PL match against his old mates see him with four recoveries and, oddly enough, a 0.01 xA.
How is it not 2-0?
Jack Grealish should have his Premier League-best fifth assist of the season with a seeing-eye cross from the left.
Thierno Barry is on the doorstep but gets under the ball and volleys over the goal. A huge miss as the center forward position continues to be an issue even with the Villarreal man in there for Beto.
Iliman Ndiaye goal — Sunderland 0-1 Everton
There’s the goal!
Thierno Barry harasses Noah Sadiki into a giveaway, as Sadiki hits the deck in hopes of a call that will not arrive in his favor.
Iliman Ndiaye is off and boy does he deliver the goods, dribbling through Granit Xhaka and Dan Ballard before sending two defenders to lunch with a cut onto his left foot and a caressed finish inside the post from 18 yards.
He is such a special player with the ball at his feet, and he’s onto four goals this Premier League season.
Toffees look better early
Everton have yet to really threaten Black Cats keeper Robin Roefs but they Toffees applying the slicker football.
Still scoreless after 13 minutes.
Sunderland lineup
Roefs, Hume, Mukiele, Ballard, Geertruida, Reinildo, Xhaka, Sadiki, Traore, Le Fee, Isidor
Everton lineup
Pickford, O’Brien, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko, Gana Gueye, Garner, Ndiaye, Dewsbury-Hall, Grealish, Barry
Sunderland vs Everton preview — by Joe Prince-Wright
With a win Sunderland could also climb to second in the Premier League table with almost a third of the season in the books.
Regis Le Bris’ newly-promoted side have been sensational on their return to the Premier League, making the best start of any promoted team since the 2008-09 season. They secured a shock 2-1 win at Chelsea last time out and Sunderland have a perfect blend of youth and experience and exuberance and pragmatism.
Everton have plenty of links to Sunderland as manager David Moyes and star goalkeeper Jordan Pickford were both formally at the Black Cats when they were relegated, and last in the Premier League, in 2017. Everton have suffered back-to-back defeats in the Premier League to Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, the latter a 3-0 home defeat last weekend as Moyes was disappointed with their set-piece defending.
Sunderland team news, focus
Habib Diarra, Dennis Cirkin, Leo Hjelde, Romaine Mundle and Aji Alese all remain out injured. Sunderland have a very flexible feel to them and they can set up in different ways defensively based on the type of game they’re expecting. Granit Xhaka has been influential in midfield and the veteran has been an exemplary captain and a real calming influence. Isidor, Le Fee and Traore are a handful in attack, while Roefs continues to excel in goal.
Everton team news, focus
Jarrad Branthwaite and Nathan Patterson remain out injured, but Moyes has a pretty settled lineup at this point. He will want to get creative talents Ndiaye, Grealish and Dewsbury-Hall on the ball as much as possible and there is serious competition between Beto and Barry for a spot up top but neither has been on form and scoring so far this season.
Sunderland vs Everton prediction
This feels like a draw. Sunderland are tough to break down and are really good at home, while Everton will go for it and see this as a game they can win if their star players are at it. Sunderland 1-1 Everton.
