Rampant Everton catch Black Cats napping

Tim Cahill, seen here in action in 2006, confirmed his return to full fitness by joining Ayegbeni Yakubu in scoring a brace for a rampant Everton in their 7-1 hammering of Sunderland.

Tim Cahill confirmed his return to full fitness by joining Ayegbeni Yakubu in scoring a brace for a rampant Everton in their 7-1 hammering of Sunderland here Saturday.

Only days after Roy Keane belittled the efforts of the England players are they limped unceremoniously out of the Euro 2008, the Sunderland manager was left doing some serious navel-gazing of his own.

Three-nil up by the 43rd minute, thanks to goals from Yakubu, Cahill and Steven Pienaar, a 45th minute consolation goal by Dwight Yorke gave Sunderland some hope, albeit slim, of a second-half revival.

However by the 71st minute David Moyes' side had scored their fifth, Yakubu adding his second to Cahill's second of the match minutes earlier, to virtually seal their seventh win in 13 league games.

During Sunderland's dramatic late collapse Andrew Johnson came off the bench to hit Everton's sixth in the 80th minute, and Leon Osman put the Toffees in seventh heaven five minutes later.

Going on results so far, Sunderland certainly had their work cut out.

While Everton came into this match unbeaten in their last six outings, Sunderland had yet to secure an away victory in 17 attempts.

After just 12 minutes an alert Yakubu latched on to Paul McShane's missed clearance to beat keeper Craig Gordon with a deflected shot.

Five minutes later Cahill produced a stunning volley from Phil Neville's cross after Mickael Arteta had carved open the Sunderland defence on the right flank.

Everton's dream half continued with South African winger Pienaar playing a one-two with Nuno Valente on the left of the area before beating Gordon with an unbeatable shot into the top corner.

Yorke was in the right place at the right time when Everton keeper Tim Howard spilled a rebound just before half time, the former Manchester United striker firing home from 12 yards.

After the interval Keane sent on Andy Cole for his Sunderland debut, but Everton maintained a punishing momentum with Arteta again providing sterling midfield service to the strikers.

But it was another McShane blunder at a clearance which gave Cahill his opening, the Australian beating Gordon easily from 12 yards just after the hour.

Yakubu sealed his own brace in the 71st minute, the Nigerian slotting home from Osman's pass after Arteta had cut the ball back to the Englishman.

Johnson replaced Yakubu in the 74th minute, and it took only three minutes for the fringe England international to make his mark on his return from injury after shrugging off his marker to beat Gordon.

Everton's scoring was completed when Sunderland's defence backed off the rampaging Osman, who ran down the middle and stroked a low shot past Gordon into the bottom corner.