Monsieur Salut writes: I suppressed the temptation to add “or luckier” to my original headline (‘Results don’t come much bigger ..’). This was, beyond doubt, a magnificent defensive display and no one who knows the first thing about football challenges the notion that having a solid defence comes into the reckoning when plaudits are distributed.
But how did Sunderland score two goals at the other end while keeping out everything Everton threw at us? First because Danny Graham, whose recent form has richly deserved a break, got one – his deflection of a shot by Jordi Gomez bringing his first goal in 28 Sunderland games. Whoever doubted Martin O’Neill’s wisdom in wanting him will now be eating his words (along with me, having predicted a defeat today). Second, because very soon after a borderline penalty shout went in his favour (at our end) he got a thigh and possibly a hand, equally unintentionally I’d say, off Adam Johnson’s shot. I ordered Pete Sixsmith, our star seven-word judge, to send smiling texts from Goodison and he complied. Come back in due course for his full account of an enormous, enormous win …
