For both Sunderland and Everton 2005 was a year of two halves. It was not inappropriate, therefore, that it finished with a game of the cliche.

Everton began 2005 in fourth place in the Premiership and managed to cling on to the spot come May. It meant they had a shot at Champions League qualification. David Moyes was lauded, rightly so. After all, the influential Thomas Gravesen had had to be sold to Real Madrid in January.

Sunderland's year began in third place a division below. Fourteen wins and three draws in their remaining 20 games made them Championship winners. Mick McCarthy was lauded for their promotion, rightly so. After all, he had spent buttons.

The praise of May blossomed into expectation by August - and so to the second half of 2005. Between them, Sunderland and Everton have played 39 Premiership matches and won seven. Sunderland's contribution to that total is one - a figure that will see them relegated, though of course no one on Wearside will accept that is the case until the day dawns.

Everton's fate is less gloomy but there is such uncertainty at Goodison Park that Moyes's assistant, Alan Irvine, talked afterwards about "surviving". It was surprising on the ear, less so on the eye. Everton, beaten in their previous four matches, conceding 13 goals in the process, were not bulging with self-assurance.

"It's all about confidence," said Tim Cahill after his winner, "which has been missing quite a bit lately for all of us. It was a bit harsh on Sunderland and you have to feel sorry for them."

Cahill's header was his first Premiership goal of the season. He was Everton's top scorer in the league last season and clearly all in blue hope it will mark a return to form.

"That was a game we should have won," said the home centre-half Steve Caldwell, "against a side near the bottom who we're trying to catch up."

Everton were comfortable in the first half as they passed the ball around their hosts, but Sunderland dominated swathes of the second.

But in Jon Stead and Andy Gray, McCarthy has invested almost £3 million in a strikeforce with one strike between them this season. Gray, who got that goal in the opening-day defeat by Charlton in August, was so ineffective McCarthy dragged him off before the interval.

Stead had chances, a very good one in the first half, but could not break his duck. It was the substitute, Anthony Le Tallec, who came closest to scoring a home goal, forcing Nigel Martyn into a fine save seven minutes after half-time.

Everton hung on for much of the rest of the game, then supplied the rapier twist via Cahill's winner two minutes into injury-time. That is well named if you happen to be a Sunderland supporter.

In September, Zoltan Gera had scored an equaliser for West Brom in the fourth minute of injury-time, like this from a corner on the right. Gera's goal meant three points became one for Sunderland, Cahill's meant one became none. Such theorising may be irrelevant: three more points would mean Sunderland would still be in single figures as the season reached its half-way stage.