Sunderland earned a 1-1 draw against Everton in the Premier League, with Granit Xhaka's second-half equalizer lifting the Black Cats to fourth place after 10 games. Everton had taken the lead through Iliman Ndiaye's solo effort but struggled after the break. The result leaves Everton in 14th position.
The match at the Stadium of Light kicked off at 20:00 GMT on November 3, 2025. Everton started brightly, dominating the first 30 minutes and taking the lead in the opening half through Iliman Ndiaye. The forward picked up the ball on the right, cut inside past three defenders, and bent a fine shot into the net from the edge of the area.
Jack Grealish nearly doubled the advantage when he thumped a shot against the post, and Thierno Barry missed a clear chance by blazing over from Grealish's cross. Barry, who replaced Beto in the starting lineup, is yet to register a shot on target since joining the club. Everton's James Garner had lashed wide after just 12 seconds, but they managed only one more shot on goal until the 85th minute.
Sunderland, who were unchanged from their previous outing, improved late in the first half and transformed after the restart. Granit Xhaka leveled the score just 45 seconds into the second half with a deflected strike off James Tarkowski and the crossbar, following a blocked effort from Enzo Le Fee. It was Xhaka's first goal for the club since leaving Arsenal.
The hosts, managed by Regis Le Bris, dominated thereafter, registering nine more shots but unable to beat returning former favorite Jordan Pickford. Everton could have snatched a winner in added time but wasted a two-on-one breakaway. Sunderland loaded the box with long throws and created half-chances, but the scoreline held.
David Moyes expressed frustration with Everton's second-half display, saying: “I wanted much more and we’re capable of it. I think we have a good team, we played quite well for some periods, but not for long enough.” Le Bris praised his side's resilience: “We didn’t start well... But we switched on the last part of the first half, and the second half was much better and we deserved to even score a second goal.”
Xhaka reflected: “Second half was very, very good... With a bit more luck, we win this game, but in the end we take one point.” Sunderland now have 18 points from 10 games (W5 D3 L2), their best start since 1999-00. Everton, with 10 draws since Moyes' return last season, sit 14th and have collected 21 away points, trailing only Arsenal, Crystal Palace, and Brentford on the road.
