The game started well enough as Osman opened the scoring after just four minutes. Gary Naysmith got in behind the defence and knocked a cross into the box that Beattie scuffed across the area. The Sunderland defenders were all over the shop and Osman nipped in to knee the ball into the net. At this point it looked as though we wouldn't have to do much to win the match. Unfortunately, it looked as though the players thought they didn't actually have to do anything and Sunderland soon levelled matters.
Jonathan Stead had a long range effort pushed around the post by Richard Wright but the erratic ‘keeper could not keep out the goal-shy striker's second effort from the resulting corner. Gary Breen flicked the cross over the Everton defence to the waiting Jon Stead who had an easy close range tap in at the far post. Well he was a nailed on certainty to score wasn't he?!
The Blues took the lead again 10 minutes later when James McFadden slotted his third in the last four matches. A long throw from Phil Neville had the Sunderland defence in a right state and, after they'd all completely fluffed clearing it, McFadden took the ball down and hit a shot on the turn past Kelvin Davis. So we reached half time 2-1 up and, although we'd been pretty poor, it was just a matter of how many we'd score in the second half.
But the closest we came to another goal was a McFadden header that hit the underside of the bar early in the second half. After that we very rarely threatened and started to let Sunderland back into the match. It was becoming clear that we needed to push for a third as there was every chance that we weren't going to hang on to our one goal lead. With that in mind the manager replaced the ineffective Simon Davies with Mikel Arteta, but even he failed to make much impact as Sunderland pushed for the equaliser.
That inevitable leveller came in the 80th minute when Rory Delap headed in a Dean Whitehead cross. There looked to be little danger as Stead collected the ball deep on the left hand side but Arteta just stood off him as he took a touch before laying the ball off to Whitehead. With no-one marking him (anyone see where Naysmith had disappeared to at this point?) he had time to pick out his man and hit a curling cross into the box that Delap thundered in with his head. Richard Wright took a bit of stick for the goal but, in reality, there was not a lot he could do about it and the cross should have been cut out be either Naysmith or Arteta.
Big Dunc was thrown on for the last five minutes and the Blues the rallied and started to attack the Sunderland defence but it was too little too late. Two points dropped and now Newcastle and Charlton are just two points behind us and, if we are to make Europe, we really need to beat the Addicks next week. But the last time we won at their gaff was August 2001.
A special mention needs to made for the Sunderland fans who were at the game too, as they clearly take the award for the biggest set of whoppers to set foot inside Goodison this season. I mean, singing ‘Walk on' and ‘Rafael Benitez'? What the frig is that all about?