Jordan Pickford's return to his boyhood club, Sunderland, ended in a 1-1 draw as the Black Cats came from behind to secure a point against Everton. The match, played at the Stadium of Light on Monday, saw Sunderland move into fourth place in the Premier League standings.
Pickford, who moved to Merseyside in 2017, received a warm reception from the Sunderland faithful before kick-off. However, the former Black Cats goalkeeper was unable to prevent his old team from earning a share of the spoils.
Everton took the lead in the 15th minute through a solo effort from Iliman Ndiaye. The Senegalese winger weaved his way past four Sunderland defenders before firing a left-footed shot past the keeper, Robin Roefs. Everton dominated for a period after the goal, with Jack Grealish hitting the post. Thierno Barry also had a chance to extend Everton's lead, but he sliced his shot over the bar.
Sunderland came out strong after the restart and leveled the score within seconds of the second half. Captain Granit Xhaka's shot from outside the box took a deflection off James Tarkowski, leaving Pickford with no chance. The Black Cats then controlled much of the second half but failed to find a winning goal.
Jamie Carragher, a Sky Sports pundit, criticized Tarkowski for his role in the equalizing goal, saying that the defender's deflection "killed" Pickford. Carragher felt that Tarkowski's positioning obstructed Pickford's line of sight, contributing to the goal.
Sunderland's draw extends their unbeaten run and continues their impressive return to the top flight. They sit level on points with Liverpool and Bournemouth, exceeding expectations early in the season. Their next match is a home game against league leaders Arsenal on Saturday, which promises to be a thrilling encounter.
Everton, meanwhile, are without a win in their last three games and are currently in 14th place. Their manager, David Moyes, was making his first return to the Stadium of Light since he oversaw Sunderland's relegation from the Premier League in 2017. Everton will be hoping to get back to winning ways when they face Fulham on Saturday.
