Everton 1 – 3 Sunderland
An unchanged Everton line-up hosts Sunderland in the club’s final home fixture of the 2025-26 Premier League season this afternoon. But it was a dreadful performance from the Blues in the end, who once again gave up a winning position far too meekly.
Now winless in the last six games, David Moyes is still the manager to take Everton forward, according to the Everton CEO, Angius Kinnear.
Team News
Everton are unchanged 11 for today’s game, with Seamus Coleman on the bench.
First Half
Everton kicked off for the last time this season, reverting to the Pickford punt, bouncing out for a goal kick, conceding possession to Sunderland. Go figure.
It was a little while before either mounting anything that qualified as an attack until Rohl got forward and played a great ball across to Beto… who could not master the bounce of the ball: Chance evaporated.
Mukiele was challenged well by Rohl and fouled him. Garner sent it to the far ost where Roefs punched it away. It came back around but the cross was overhit. Angulo looked to advance on the ball into the Everton penalty area, but Tarkowski was across strongly to deny him.
Sunderland mounted another attack but the Blues closed ranks and Dewsbury-Hall was fouled. Everton got a very soft corner from the midfield free-kick. A brilliant delivery but Roefs was under it to punch away.
Things settled down a bit after the end-to-end stuff, Sunderland having a better spell, Keane well positioned to cut out Le Fee’s cross. From a long throw-in, Geertruida fired over from distance.
O’Brien then had to block Angulo’s path. Sunderland regrouped and again O’Brien was called upon. But Ndiaye won the ball brilliantly; however, midfield pass the parcel went nowhere and Ndiaye lost the ball in the very location he had won it!
Sunderland broke quickly but Everton defended well, and eventually Dewsbury-Hall played a half-decent outball toward Beto, but it didn’t get there. Alderete had an issue after stalling Beto, Luke O’Nein on in his place,, and Dewsbury-Hall also had an issue.
A more threatening Sunderland move had to be halted by Keane, before Tarkowski was across to clear the danger.
Everton tried to break forward, Iroegbunam with the ball at his feet but it got away from him and he rather lunged forward to get it back, missing the ball and catching the man.
Mukiele got the ball wide but fired a wayward shot high over Pickford’s goal.
A great Everton move from the back ended abruptly when the ball was played through to Beto and he immediately surrendered. Criminal. The game was full of mistakes from both sides as it passed the half-hour mark, with Everton creating virtually nothing. Too many off-field distractions, perhpas?
Garner finally had a pop but it was from miles out and straight at Roefs. O’Nien stole the ball off Ndiaye’s toes as he wanted to shoot. The throw was all the way into the 6-yard area, Tarkowski heading it on but Roefs was covering the near post.
A slow Everton build-up down the left ended with Garner’s through-ball that nobody was interested in running onto. The quality of the football really was dire.
Everton tried to build again, Dewsbury-Hall finally getting behind the Sunderland backline and crossing to Beto but just a few inches too high for him despite a prodigious leap that saw the ball glanced wide.
Dewsbury-Hall worked it well and drove the ball hard across the Sunderland area, but it looked to have been cleared; however, Merlin Röhl recovers it and drives a hard shot that deflected sharply off Xhaka and beyond Roefs into the net. Deadlock finally broken!
The Black Cats tried to get back at Everton before the break, but more decent Everton defending kept them at bay.
Half-time: Everton 1 – 0 Sunderland
Second Half
Angulo won an early tussle with O’Brien after throwing himself to the ground, drawing a yellow card. Pickford tried to come for the free-kick but only palmed it wide, where it was smashed back at him by Mukiele along the byeline.
A Xhaka free-kick was headed clear by Mykolenko. Garner got an elbow from Angulo. A nice solo display from Beto fed the ball out to O’brien but he went dwon
O’Nein took out Beto but he got the ball first and it was deemed to be okay. The play advanced to Everton’s goalline where Tarkowski was called for a foul, much to everyone’s annoyance after seeing Beto go flying.
A Sunderland cross came off Iroegbunam’s thigh and hit his arm but it was outside the Everton area. Still Everton had o defend the corner and just could not break out as Sunderland players were all over Dewsbury-Hall.#
A sliced cross from Hume say Pickford paw the ball over the angle as Everton were under even more pressure. But the breakout led by Dewsbury-Hall looked really promising until an absolutely awful final ball from Ndiaye, too far ahead of Beto and an easy pickup for Roefs.
Sunderland resumed their attack and O’Brien’s horrible pass allowed Brobbery to break forward and easily beat Tarkowski, firing past Pickford. Everton had been under the cosh since the break, and there was a painful inevitability about this one.
In the hullabaloo, Moyes missed a unique moment to bring on Coleman at 60 minutes. Dewsbury-Hall crossed in well but O’Brien could only head it straight down into the ground. A decent break forward saw the ball played in for Ndiaye in lots of space but he came nowhere near even shooting at goal.
Still, Everton were pressing hard on the edge of the Sunderland area, but just could not fashion a decent chance. Mandava won an aerial challenge with O’Brien but came off worst.
Evertoton were attacking when a turnover looked to have released Brobbery but Garner was back brilliantly to cover him. Iroegbunam was testing the referee’s patience with his aggressive play as Everton looked to get back on top.
Moyes finally made some changes… but no sign of Seamus Coleman. George looked to play forward down the left but his clever one-two with Mykolenko just failed to come off.
Everton worked hard to make an opening but just could not penetrate the Sunderland defence before a slew of changes for the visitors broke the momentum.
A stupid moment from Pickford saw him give Sunderland a long throw-in chance that was cleared. Sunderland came again and this time hit golddust, Le Fee beating Ndiaye and firing past Pickford to give them the go-ahead goal.
Everton down into the bottom half if this scoreline sticks, but Moyes’s masterstroke was to bring on McNeil and Coleman with 5 minutes left.
George got behind the line and put in a brilliant cross, O’Brein ducking a little so it came off the top of his head and hit Roes on the shoulder and over the bar! From the Everton corner, Sunderland looked to break but Diarra was too slow and Garner got back to stop him.
Coleman finally came on along with McNeil… could they fashion something from this abject mess of a final home game? Everton were given another 6 minutes to try and savage something but instead they gifted an atrociously stupid goal at the end.
What a pitiful end to the home campaign from David Moyes and his hapless players.
Line-ups
Everton: Pickford, O’Brien (86′ Coleman), Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko, Garner [Y:90+6′], Iroegbunam [Y:25′] (72′ George) , Röhl (88′ McNeil), Dewsbury-Hall, Ndiaye, Beto (73′ Barry).
Subs not Used: Travers, Patterson, Dibling, Alcaraz, Armstrong.
Sunderland: Roefs; Geertruida, Mukiele, Alderete (23′ O’Nien), Mandava; Xhaka, Sadiki (77′ Diarra); Hume, Le Fee, Angulo (76′ Rigg); Brobbey (77′ Isidor).
Subs not Used: Cirkin, Talbi, Mayenda, Ellborg, Ta Bi.