Sunderland welcomed Everton to the Stadium of Light on Wednesday knowing that a win would secure Premier League survival and relegate Newcastle United and Norwich City in the process.
Goals from Patrick van Aanholt and Lamine Kone saw the home side lead 2-0 at the break and that came three early in the second period when Kone netted his second from close range.
Everton had their moments during the 90 minutes, but could not prevent Sunderland from collecting all the points and booking their spot in the Premier League for the 2016-17 campaign.
Read how it all unfolded in Sports Mole's minute-by-minute live commentary of the action below.
6.46pmGood evening and welcome to Sports Mole's live commentary of the Premier League clash between Sunderland and Everton from the Stadium of Light. Victory for the home side would secure their safety in England's top flight and relegate Newcastle United and Norwich City in the process. It is a massive, massive football match and you can follow all of the action right here!
6.49pmSunderland need all three points to secure survival tonight, but they have only won one of their last 10 Premier League games against Everton at the Stadium of Light – losing five times in the process. They were also beaten 6-2 at Goodison Park in the reverse league match back in November. It would be fair to say that the Black Cats have found Everton a tough nut to crack over the last decade.
6.52pmRight, let me bring you up-to-speed with the all-important team news from the Stadium of Light. Who have Sam Allardyce and Roberto Martinez placed their faith in tonight? Let's have a look!
6.55pmTEAMS:
SUN: Mannone; Yedlin, Kone, Kaboul, Van Aanholt; Khaziri, M'Vila, Kirchoff, Cattermole, Borini; Defoe
EVE: Joel; Stones, Pennington, Funes Mori, Baines; Barry, McCarthy; Cleverley, Barkley, Mirallas; Lukaku
6.58pmAs expected, Sunderland boss Allardyce has kept faith with the same XI that beat Chelsea at the weekend, meaning that Jermain Defoe will once again lead the line. Fabio Borini and Wahbi Khazri will provide the support from a wide area, leaving Lee Cattermole, Jan Kirchoff and Yann M'Vila to patrol the centre of the park. John O'Shea and Sebastian Larsson both start on the bench for the home team.
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7.01pmAs for Everton, head coach Martinez has made three changes to the team that lost at Leicester at the weekend. Having served a suspension, Ramiro Funes Mori returns at centre-back, which means that John Stones switches to right-back and Bryan Oviedo drops to the bench. Gareth Barry returns to the midfield in place of Aaron Lennon, while Kevin Mirallas replaces Oumar Niasse in attack. Twenty-one-year-old Matthew Pennington retains a spot in the XI due to the continued absence of Phil Jagielka.
7.04pmSo there we have it. The two teams are in and we are now little over 40 minutes from kickoff on this mild evening in Sunderland. I shall speak about Everton and their struggles a bit later, but let's start with the home team, who know that three points would secure another season of Premier League football and relegate their bitter rivals Newcastle United in the process. There is quite a big prize on offer tonight!
7.07pmSunderland twice came from behind to beat Chelsea 3-2 on Saturday afternoon and that result, coupled with disappointing results for Newcastle and Norwich, moved Allardyce's side out of the bottom three. As it stands, they sit 17th on 35 points, Newcastle are 18th on 34 points and Norwich, who host Watford tonight, are down in 19th on 31 points. Norwich and Sunderland have both played 36 games, while Newcastle have played 37 and finish at home to Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend.
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7.10pmSunderland have actually only lost one of their last nine in the league, but they have not managed back-to-back home wins in the Premier League for two years. They lost at home to the champions Leicester on April 10, but have since beaten Norwich and Chelsea and drawn with Arsenal and Stoke City to ensure that they remained in control of their own destiny in the final weeks. Even if they do not get the job done tonight, they could also survive with a win over Watford at the weekend.
7.13pmA record of eight wins, 11 draws and 17 defeats represents a disappointing season for Sunderland, who are getting used to these scraps at the bottom of the table. They looked doomed for some time, but Jermain Defoe's 15 league goals have been a massive help. In fact, without the Englishman's goals, Sunderland would be a massive 14 points worse off entering their final two matches.
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7.16pmOnly the bottom three teams – Newcastle, Norwich and Villa – have lost more league games than Sunderland (17) this season. However, the Black Cats have outscored the likes of Watford, Stoke City and Crystal Palace and have only actually scored three fewer goals than Manchester United. They have also improved defensively in recent weeks – conceding just seven times in their last eight games.
7.19pmAs for Everton, there are no relegation worries at Goodison Park, but there is no escaping the fact that it has been another desperately poor Premier League campaign. As it stands, Roberto Martinez's side sit 12th in the table on 44 points and they could actually still finish as low as 16th, which would be very disappointing for a team that had hopes of a European finish in this campaign.
7.22pmTen wins, 14 draws and 12 defeats is how Everton have performed this season and they will enter this match off the back of a 3-1 loss at champions Leicester last weekend. The Toffees have only won once in their last nine league games, drawing three and losing five. There is serious pressure on Martinez from the supporters and that will only increase with another poor result tonight.
7.25pmSince winning 3-1 away at basement side Villa at the start of March, Everton have only collected all the points on one occasion and that came at home to Bournemouth on April 30. They have actually collected more points away (24) than at home (20) this season, however, and certainly have the players to cause Sunderland some serious problems in tonight's match.
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7.28pmWhile Sunderland have a striker in serious form – a certain Defoe – Everton's main man Romelu Lukaku has gone cold in recent weeks. The Belgian international has 25 goals in all competitions this season, including 18 in the Premier League, but he has not scored in his last eight appearances for Everton and the team has felt the loss of goals. The Toffees really need a big game from Lukaku tonight.
7.32pmEverton's record of 56 Premier League goals in 36 matches is far from disastrous, but they have conceded 52 times, which is among the poorer records in the league. John Stones's performances have been criticised and there have been question marks over Martinez's ability to balance both defence and attack. They were the same questions when the Spaniard bossed Wigan Athletic!
7.35pm
TOP SCORER: @IAmJermainDefoe warms-up the shooting boots. #hawaythelads pic.twitter.com/YUVQF5e2ws
— Sunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) 11 May 2016
7.38pmA reminder of the two teams for tonight's match...
SUN: Mannone; Yedlin, Kone, Kaboul, Van Aanholt; Khaziri, M'Vila, Kirchoff, Cattermole, Borini; Defoe
EVE: Joel; Stones, Pennington, Funes Mori, Baines; Barry, McCarthy; Cleverley, Barkley, Mirallas; Lukaku
7.42pmPREDICTION! I really fancy Sunderland tonight. Everton, of course, could upset the party, but the momentum is with Sunderland and I am finding it very, very difficult to see them passing up such a big opportunity in tonight's match. Sunderland to win and ensure Premier League survival.
0 minKICKOFF! Here we go then - the pre-match handshakes have been undertaken and the flags have been exchanged. As expected, there is a wonderful atmosphere inside the Stadium of Light. Can Sunderland make this a special night? Let's find out! The away side get the first period underway...
2 min... this place is absolutely bouncing! The players are fired up and a massive cheer comes from the stands when Khazri dives in to block a Stones punt from right-back. The visitors are already on the back-foot as Sunderland force the ball forward, with Borini already running at Baines down the right.
4 minYou just get the feeling that the first goal tonight - if there indeed is one - could be crucial. Everton have just started to see some possession, but they are finding it difficult to break through Sunderland's midfield. Only one team is truly fired up to collect all the points in this match.
6 minGood grief - Cattermole flies into a challenge with Barkley, clearing the midfielder out. The referee is sensitive to the nature of the occasion though and does not produce a yellow card. Lukaku has the chance to threaten for Everton moments later, but Kone is across to challenge the Belgian.
8 minNeither side has come close to making the breakthrough in the opening eight minutes, but Sunderland are still the team pressing forward. Everton, as expected, are not too worried about attacking at this stage of the match as they attempt to quieten this vocal Stadium of Light support.
9 minCHANCE! Everton create the first chance of the match as Barry picks out the head of Pennington with a super cross from the left, but the centre-back's header is just wide of the far post.
11 minThis is good stuff from Everton as Pennington and Barkley both threaten with crosses from wide positions, but Sunderland manage to force the ball down the field. The home side threaten to break with Borini, but Baines is across to foul the Italian. This is starting to liven up with 11 on the clock.
13 minGood grief! Everton mess around with the ball at the back and Funes Mori tries to play a cute back-pass to Joel - Defoe is quickly on the scene, but the stopper just about manages to clear the danger!
7.59pmGreat news for Sunderland. Norwich are behind...
GOAL #watfordfc Deeney 1-0! pic.twitter.com/LF7WP5bOci
— Watford FC (@WatfordFC) 11 May 2016
8pmScrap that, Norwich are level almost immediately! Nathan Redmond has hit back!
16 minBack at the Stadium of Light, the challenges continue to fly in! No bookings thus far, but we are getting pretty close to that point. Everton are giving as good as they are getting at the moment.
18 minBaines stays off the field injured and Borini decides to attack down that side, but Everton shuffle across and manage to clear towards Lukaku, who runs Kaboul and then delivers, but Kone is on hand to make the clearance. End-to-end football with 18 minutes on the clock here!
19 minKhazri smashes one towards goal from just outside the Everton box, but Funes Mori is on hand to make the block. It is all getting very lively as both teams continue to concede possession of the ball.
21 minDefoe looks to break through for Sunderland after Everton concede possession once again, but Funes Mori is across on the cover to make the clearance. The home supporters are still in fine voice and are trying to suck the ball towards the goal. The opening 21 minutes have just flown past here!
8.05pmNorwich have taken the lead against Watford. Already three goals in that game!
23 minCLOSE! Oh my word! Kaboul drops his shoulder down the left and attempts to bend one into the far corner. The centre-back is not too far away, that would have been some goal!
25 minThe Sunderland players will not be aware, but Norwich now lead Watford 2-1 and victory for the Canaries would move them onto 34 points, just two behind Sunderland as things stand here.
28 minPlenty happening as both teams continue to move the ball from left to right, but both defences have been on top in the opening 28 minutes of action. Indeed, neither goalkeeper has been forced into making a save. Mirallas comes close to beating Mannone to the ball, but the stopper wins the race.
29 minHalf-chance for Everton as Ross Barkley cuts inside Borini before attempting to bend one towards the far corner, but his effort was always missing the post. Still goalless with 29 on the clock here.
32 minMirallas has threatened to run away from the Sunderland defence on a couple of occasions, but Yedlin's pace is frightening and the American has been able to cover his two centre-backs here.
34 minKhazri continues to drift inside and pick up dangerous positions for the hosts, but Everton have been stern at the back thus far and they survive another attack when Joel collects a deep cross from M'Vila. In truth, we are still waiting for our first real chance of a match that is 34 minutes old.
36 minGoing forward, Everton have struggled in this first period, but they have been impressive at the back, with Stones, Pennington, Funes Mori and Baines forming a solid unit. Lukaku has been very isolated in the final third, however, and Barkley has really struggled to get into the match.
37 minSunderland have a free kick in a very dangerous area as Funes Mori fells Defoe...
38 min... GOAL! Sunderland 1-0 Everton (Van Aanholt)
39 minBreakthrough! Sunderland take the lead in the 38th minute as Van Aanholt's free kick goes straight through the wall and beats Joel between the sticks! Not too sure about the goalkeeping there!
41 minSAVE! Wonderful save from Joel as the Everton stopper keeps out a point-blank header from Defoe, who had met a cross from Khazri! Everton are wobbling in the latter stages of this half!
42 minGOAL! Sunderland 2-0 Everton (Kone)
43 minOh my word! Sunderland score a second as Kone hammers home from close range after Everton had failed to clear a high ball. That is some finish from a centre-back and this place has erupted!
45 minAs it stands, Sunderland are safe and they will relegate Newcastle and Norwich tonight!
45 min+1We are into the first of two additional minutes at the end of the first period.
45 min+2HALF-TIME: Sunderland 2-0 Everton
8.33pmSo there we have it. The referee brings the first period to a close and Sunderland lead Everton 2-0 courtesy of goals from Van Aanholt and Kone. Everton had competed well for long spells, but they fell apart in the latter stages of the half and Sunderland, as it stands, are safe in the top flight!
8.38pmSTATS! Everton have shaded the possession with 56%, but they have only managed two attempts and neither were on target. Sunderland, meanwhile, hit the target with four of their eight attempts in the first period. There have been 10 fouls in total, but no yellow cards at the Stadium of Light.
8.43pmBENCH WATCH! Sunderland boss Allardyce will be delighted with what he has seen in the first period, but the 61-year-old has the likes of Larsson and O'Shea on his bench tonight and their experience could prove valuable. As for Everton, Besic, Lennon, Niasse and Osman are available.
46 minRESTART! Here we go then - both sets of players re-join us on the pitch for the second period. Sunderland, as it stands, are 45 minutes from survival! The home side resume the action here...
47 min... EVERTON SUB! Lennon has replaced Barkley for the away side.
48 minSAVE! Early warning signs for Sunderland and Mannone is forced to step to his right and collect a header from Pennington, which was heading for the top corner. Better from Everton!
49 minCHANCE! Kirchhoff sends a header just wide of the Everton post after meeting a super corner from Khazri. Plenty happening in the early stages of the second period here!
51 minPlenty happening at the moment as both teams continue to commit players in the final third of the field. I would be very surprised if we had seen the last of the goals at the Stadium of Light tonight.
53 minIn fairness to Everton, they have come out firing in the second period and are forcing Sunderland to retreat into a defensive shape. One goal for the Toffees at this stage would make things very interesting indeed, but I fancy Sunderland to score at least once more before the night is out.
55 minEverton are effectively playing for Newcastle and Norwich's survival in this second period and the Toffees are making a better fist of it at the moment! Sunderland had it their own way in the first half, but the visitors are now pressing players forward and looking dangerous in the final third.
55 minOFF-THE-LINE! Defoe seems certain to send Sunderland 3-0 ahead, but his looped effort is cleared off-the-line by Pennington. Super defending from the centre-back there!
55 minGOAL! Sunderland 3-0 Everton (Kone)
56 minSunderland have their third as Kone converts from close range after Joel had flapped a corner straight into the path of the centre-back. What a night for the Sunderland fans!
59 minKhazri has the chance to drive into the Everton box and face up to Joel, but the midfielder instead looks for Defoe and Stones is across to make the clearance. Everton are absolutely wobbling here!
61 minNorwich and Newcastle are heading to the Championship unless Everton can score three times in the final 30 minutes tonight. Stranger things have happened, but I just cannot, cannot see it.
63 minDefoe again breaks the offside trap and looks set to take on Joel, but Funes Mori is across at the vital moment to make the challenge. The noise inside the stadium is just incredible!
65 minSunderland could have scored five or six tonight and that is just not good enough for an Everton team that has such quality throughout the squad. As it stands, there will be more pressure on Martinez, who could find himself out of a job at the end of the season. His players have let him down.
66 minSAVE! Joel stands tall and strong to keep out a Defoe strike!
67 minBOOKING! Cattermole (Sunderland) is booked for a late challenge on Lennon.
67 minSAVE! Super save from Mannone to keep out a header from Funes Mori!
68 minBaines unleashes one from distance, but it is a comfortable save for Mannone.
70 minSUNDERLAND SUB! Larsson replaces Kirchhoff for the home side.
72 minEverton need to score three times in the final 30 minutes to prevent Newcastle and Norwich from dropping into the Championship. Likely? No. Impossible? Yes. Sorry, I mean no. Or yes. No.
74 minLukaku pulls the trigger from outside the box, but Kone is on hand to make the block. Lukaku has been very disappointing tonight and is close to making it nine games without a goal.
74 minSAVE! Mannone shows good reflexes to keep out a header from Barry!
76 minLittle under 15 minutes of the second period remaining and Sunderland are still comfortable. Everton have had chances to register since the break, but they have been second best tonight.
78 minSmart build-up between Cleverley and Lukaku, but the former's strike is deflected wide of the post. One goal for the visitors would make things very nervy for the home supporters!
80 minSUNDERLAND SUB! O'Shea replaces Cattermole in Sunderland's second change.
82 minNorwich are actually beating Watford 4-2 at Carrow Road, but they will still be relegated unless Everton can score three times and not concede in the final 10 minutes. Sunderland are so close!
83 minWe have a spectator on the field!
84 minAllardyce is not very pleased with the Sunderland supporter, that is for sure. Big Sam is one of those that you would not like to upset. All done and dusted and we continue at the S of L.
85 minEVERTON SUB! Osman replaces Cleverley for the visitors.
87 minSUNDERLAND SUB! Watmore replaces Khazri for the home side.
89 minWonderful noise inside the stadium at the moment as the home supporters celebrate with the final whistle not too far away! Newcastle and Norwich are heading down to the Championship!
90 minWe are hearing that there will five additional minutes at the end of the 90!
90 min+1SAVE! Joel gets down to keep out a Defoe strike after the Englishman had raced into the Everton box once again. Some of the away side's defending tonight has been very poor indeed.
90 min+2Comfortable for Mannone, who gets down to keep out a low strike from Lukaku.
90 min+4End-to-end football in stoppage time as both teams seek the game's fourth goal.
90 min+4Osman has an unchallenged header inside the Sunderland box, but his effort is wide.
90 min+5SAVE! Super save from Mannone to keep out a strike from Mirallas.
90 min+5CROSSBAR! Lukaku hits the crossbar from a corner!
90 min+6FULL-TIME: Sunderland 3-0 Everton
9.38pmSUNDERLAND WIN SEES NEWCASTLE AND NORWICH RELEGATED!
9.40pmWhat a performance from the home side! Sunderland are safe in the Premier League ahead of their final game against Watford this weekend, but Newcastle and Norwich are both relegated to the Championship. What a night! Be sure to stick around for the reaction on Sports Mole!
