If Sunderland’s fate is sealed in the next few weeks, and the inevitable inquest follows into where it all went wrong, the search for answers shouldn’t take too long.
It’s not so much goals that have been the problem for Gus Poyet’s side as scoring them at the right end, and their jinx struck again at the worst possible time at The Stadium of Light on Saturday.
They were in the ascendancy and looking the likelier winners when Everton’s livewire on-loan winger Gerard Deulofeu went through his repertoire of tricks on the right to leave Marcos Alonso flat-footed and clipped the ball back from the bye-line.
An involuntary movement of Wes Brown’s left leg failed to block the danger and, instead, deflected the ball past Vito Mannone for a 75th-minute addition to a collection of own goals that is approaching record proportions.
Winner: Everton celebrate Wes Brown's own goal in the second half at the Stadium of Light
Low point: Brown looks into the net after scoring an own goal for Sunderland
Vital: Deulofeu celebrates his cross caused Brown to turn into his own net
Down? Vito Mannone puts his head in his hands as Sunderland concede the second half goal
Match facts
Sunderland (4-1-4-1): Mannone 6; Bardsley 5.5, O’Shea 6, Brown 6, Alonso 5; Cattermole 6; Johnson 6.5, Ki 6.5, Colback 5 (Larsson 70, 6), Borini 6; Wickham 4.5.
Subs not used: Ustari, Gardner, Giaccherini, Cuellar, Vergini, Scocco.
Booked: Johnson, Bardsley, Larsson.
Everton (4-4-1-1): Howard 6.5; Coleman 7, Stones 7.5, Distin 7, Baines 6.5; Osman 6 (Barkley 58, 6.5), McCarthy 6.5, Barry 6.5, Deulofeu 8 (McGeady 78); Naismith 6.5; Lukaku 5.5.
Subs not used: Robles, Hibbert, Mirallas, Garbutt, Alcaraz.
Referee: Lee Probert 6.
Man of the match: Deulofeu.
Managers: Poyet 6.5, Martinez 7.
Att: 38,445.
*Player ratings by JOHN EDWARDS at the Stadium of Light
That’s six for the season now in the Barclays Premier League. Another two, and they will have the dubious distinction of equalling Leicester’s record, set in 2003-04, when Frank Sinclair was in his prime.
It was no laughing matter for Poyet, of course, after his spirited side finished empty-handed and found themselves seven points adrift of fourth-bottom Norwich, with a run-in that includes games against both Manchester teams and Chelsea.
The Sunderland manager was rendered almost speechless by his team’s wretched luck, as he said: ‘We competed against one of the form teams in the division and matched them for passing and attempts on goal, and then that happens.
‘I don’t have a word for how I feel, because it’s not just one emotion. It just seems that whatever we do, something goes wrong. It could be a decision, a deflected shot or an own goal. Whatever it is, it goes against us, and it is hard to take. I just can’t explain it, the way own goals keep going in.
‘Can we stay up? There is always a chance, but we are running out of games. Things need to change, and they need to change quickly.’
The win lifted Everton above Arsenal into fourth, and Roberto Martinez backed them to stay there, as he reflected on a 66-point tally that is their best-ever in the Premier League.
Touch: Ross Barkley (centre) looks to bring the ball down in the Sunderland penalty area
Calm down: Referee Lee Probert speaks to John O'Shea during Everton's win against Sunderland
Chance: Naismith had several opportunities to put Everton ahead but couldn't find his shooting boots
Leon Osman (centre) appeals for a foul as his team attempt to break the deadlock against Sunderland
Get out of the way: Deulofeu is closed down by Marcos Alonso and Lee Cattermole
Solid: Connor Wickham (left) is tackled Sylvain Distin during the match at the Stadium of Light
‘At the start of the season, there were six clubs with big budgets who were supposed to be competing for Champions’ League places,’ said the Everton manager. ‘We were not one of them, so there is no pressure on us. We will keep fighting for the prize we want, and we will do it without the pressure others are feeling.
‘I thought the game was tense and cagey, and there wasn’t a lot of quality, but that was because there was so much at stake for both sides. It was a bit of quality that won it for us, though. Gerard is a boy who keeps going forward and attacking defenders, and he got his reward. It needed a bit of magic to stop it being a scrappy 0-0, and that’s what he came up with.’
There was plenty of endeavour from both sides, but both were let down by wayward finishing.
Steven Naismith set the tone in only the ninth minute after smartly wrong-footing the close-marking Wes Brown but spoiling all his good work by blazing over from near the penalty spot.
Touchline: The two managers try desperately to get messages across to their players
Get off: Sunderland's Ki Sung Yueng (left) has words after a strong tackle by Everton's James McCarthy
Close: Naismith reacts after the Scot misses a chance in the first half
Ki Sung-Yueng was next to miss out with the goal at his mercy, though he could at least point to an athletic goalline clearance by John Stones for his misfortune.
The Sunderland midfielder looked to have done everything right, after latching on to a weak Leighton Baines back pass and rounding keeper Tim Howard. He even struck his angled shot accurately enough, but Stones appeared from nowhere to fling himself in the way on the line.
Sunderland stepped it up at the start of the second half and went close through John O’Shea, Alonso and Ki Sung-Yueng as one scramble followed another in the Everton area.
Increasingly hopeful home fans even replicated the famous old Roker Roar as they sensed the growing probability of a Sunderland player on the scoresheet. When it duly transpired, though, it was met with near-silence, as Brown joined Phil Bardsley (2), Steven Fletcher, Carlos Cuellar and O’Shea with an own goal next to his name.
Instruction: Sunderland manager Gus Poyet barks orders at his team during the Premier League clash
In the air: Lee Cattermole (top) beats Naismith to a header in the first half
Possession: Connor Wickham (centre) keeps the ball away from a watchful John Stones (right)
Defend: Wes Brown (right) does enough to block a Lukaku shot in the first half
Tussle: Deulofeu (top) and Marcos Alonso battle for the ball during the Premier League match
Respect: Sunderland and Everton players observe the minutes silence in memory of the Hillsborough disaster
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