Everton 2 Sunderland 0

Feb 27 2011 by James Hunter, Sunday Sun

ANOTHER day out at Goodison Park, another defeat for Sunderland.

The Black Cats’ Goodison curse struck again as they suffered yet another depressing defeat in the blue corner of Merseyside.

Two first-half goals from Jermaine Beckford did the damage as the Black Cats suffered a fourth defeat in a row, with Everton following in the footsteps of Chelsea, Stoke and Spurs in taking all three points against the Wearsiders.

Goodison has never been a happy hunting ground for Sunderland and a glance at the history books shows why.

They have won only twice at Everton since the mid-1950s – and their last victory here was 15 years ago.

Since then they have regularly been on the end of thumping defeats on this ground, including a 5-0 reverse in 1999 and a 7-1 pummelling four years ago that linger in the memory for all the wrong reasons.

But the travelling Red and White Army set out for Liverpool this weekend hoping that their luck was about to change.

After all, Everton have had an uncharacteristically poor season up to now while, under Steve Bruce, Sunderland appear to be a team finally heading in the right direction.

The Black Cats are on course for their first top 10 finish in a decade and Bruce’s contribution was rewarded this week by owner Ellis Short handing his manager a new contract that will keep him at the club until 2014.

Yet any thoughts Bruce had of celebrating his new deal with a win went out of the window before half-time.

And, worryingly, it was Sunderland’s defensive shortcomings that cost them once again. Sunderland have kept 11 Premier League clean sheets this season – a total bettered only by Manchester City and Chelsea – and it is that kind of defensive solidity that has seen them rise into the top half of the table.

But since the turn of the year their foundations have crumbled. The Black Cats have now gone seven games in all competitions without managing a shut-out, and in their current losing streak they have now conceded 11 goals in four games.

Against Everton, centre-backs John Mensah and Titus Bramble were poor, while Anton Ferdinand – who had come in to replace calf injury victim Nedum Onuoha at right-back – was woeful.

Ferdinand’s inclusion was one of three changes Bruce made to the side that lost against Spurs, with keeper Craig Gordon failing to recover from a knee injury and being replaced by Simon Mignolet, while Ahmed Elmohamady was preferred to Steed Malbranque in midfield.