Everton 0-1 Sunderland Boxing Day 2013

Sunderland received an unexpected assist in their bid for Premier League survival as Everton pressed the self-destruct button on their unbeaten home league run in 2013. A calamitous error from Leon Osman resulted in a red card for Tim Howard after 23 minutes and a winner from the penalty spot for Ki Sung-yueng. While the Everton goalkeeper walked, Sunderland's Vito Mannone excelled to preserve a crucial three points for Gus Poyet's team.



Everton made a sluggish, laboured opening with the only bursts of energy and invention coming from Bryan Oviedo at left-back. The one rotational change that Roberto Martínez did make, Leon Osman for the in-form Ross Barkley, was to have damaging consequences.



The tone was almost set in the second minute when Phil Jagielka under-cooked a header back to Howard and the goalkeeper was required to win a sliding tackle against Steven Fletcher. One routine save from Jack Colback aside, and that following a rare loose pass from Gareth Barry, the United States international had nothing else to do until his and Everton's afternoon turned sour when he was sold short once again.





It was a moment that will haunt Osman, that cost Everton their unbeaten league record at home this year and will give Sunderland renewed belief that they can become only the second team in Premier League history to avoid the drop having been bottom on Christmas Day. The Everton midfielder was true to Martínez's instructions – and its inherent risks - in building from the back when he ran from the halfway line to show for a goal-kick from Howard.



Osman received it, then lost it with a poor first touch that gifted possession to Ki on the edge of the penalty area. The South Korean rounded Howard but was clipped by the Everton keeper for a clear red card and the penalty that followed. The reactions of Osman and Howard were telling, and both their afternoons were over as the midfielder gave way to the substitute keeper, Joel Robles. Ki, scorer of Sunderland's Capital One Cup quarter-final winner against Chelsea, kept his composure to beat Robles convincingly from the penalty spot.



Martínez immediately switched to a 4-3-2 with Kevin Mirallas joining Romelu Lukaku in attack, before he disappeared down the tunnel for an apparent toilet break for four minutes to leave Everton with nine men. A fifth booking of the season for Barry means they will be without both the influential midfielder and their first-choice keeper for Southampton's visit on Sunday.



The jolt did nothing for the quality of Everton's performance until Barkley was introduced for the second half and Sunderland, lively throughout on the break, almost doubled their lead when Ondrej Celustka tested Robles with an angled drive. Everton's keeper spilled the initial shot but made a superb reaction save to deny Sebastian Larsson on the rebound.



Modibo Diakité, part of a Sunderland defence missing the injured John O'Shea and the suspended Wes Brown, squandered a clear opening at the start of the second half and Fletcher went close with a back-post header from Lee Cattermole's inviting cross. But there was greater urgency from Everton's 10 men after the interval and Barkley's willingness to shoot on sight brought an added threat.





Vito Mannone produced a fine save to keep out Jagielka's header from an Oviedo corner and an even better stop when the Costa Rica defender cut inside and sent a rising shot towards the top corner from 20 yards. When Barkley attempted to reproduce the free-kick expertise that defeated Swansea City on Sunday, the Sunderland keeper thwarted Everton yet again with his finger tips. He was finally beaten by Nikica Jelavic's diving header from the resulting corner, but the on-loan Liverpool striker Fabio Borini was on the line to clear.



Everton's valiant response almost conjured an equaliser in the final seconds but Lukaku failed to connect with a header in front of an open goal.

Source: Guardian