EVERTON DOMINANCE EVAPORATES; PICKFORD, MOYES REACT WITH DISBELIEF AND FURY

PUBLISHED 04/11/2025 AT GMT+3

Everton's draw at Sunderland felt like two points dropped after Iliman Ndiaye's opener was cancelled out by a deflected Granit Xhaka strike. Jordan Pickford's emotional return was a key storyline in a match filled with drama.

Everton dominance evaporates; Pickford, Moyes react with disbelief and fury

Jordan Pickford, goalkeeper of Everton waves at fans after the Premier League match between Sunderland and Everton at Stadium of Light (Image: Getty Images)

With a draw that felt like both a win and a loss, Everton left the Stadium of Light.

They controlled Sunderland for thirty minutes, to the extent that discussions between reporters from the North East in the press box came to the conclusion that it was the first time this season that the recently promoted team appeared overpowered by an opponent.

However, the hosts were able to rally late in the game since the visitors were unable to capitalise on their superiority and failed to build on Iliman Ndiaye's opening goal. By the end, Everton was relieved to hear the final whistle. Here are a few of the match's moments that went beyond the news.

Jordan Pickford's distress over James Tarkowski's help

When Granit Xhaka's effort was deflected past Jordan Pickford to tie the score for Sunderland on Monday night, his expression told it all. The England number one was a picture of agony as he reprimanded the centre back for extending out his leg to block the shot and turned to face captain James Tarkowski.

When the effort was redirected away from his dive, the goalie seemed frustrated that Tarkowski had not left it for him to handle, even though it was supposed to be a simple stop. The goal was vital because it gave the home crowd more energy and helped the Mackems maintain the momentum they had at the end of the first half.

Everton failed to bounce back, but they managed to hold on for a point that seemed crucial considering the second half's struggle, which Moyes said was "awful." Moments after the equaliser, Pickford had to make a crucial stop as an Enzo Le Fée strike was deflected away from him, despite his worries about those blocking shots in front of him going unanswered.

England's top player receives praise from everyone.

During his first game back at Sunderland since leaving for Everton in 2017, Pickford was a main attraction. He has remained a devoted fan of his boyhood team and saw them finish a protracted and agonising period outside the top flight by winning promotion from the Championship last season.

The home audience applauded when his name was called before the game and cheered him off the field with the song, "He is one of our own," after the final whistle.

The away end frequently broke into the "dynamite" song that was composed for him at the conclusion of the previous season, demonstrating that the affection was reciprocated.

David Moyes is playing.

Although the two clubs' good connection was always evident during this game, tensions remained high for the entire ninety minutes. This also applied to the dugouts. Trai Hume made a crazy lunge at Jack Grealish in the second half, causing him to writhe in agony. The incident so shocked Moyes that he jumped onto the field in what seemed to be a mix of worry and rage.

Moyes later felt that his playmaker deserved a lot of protection after Hume was booked for the tackle. Pedro Porro of Tottenham Hotspur and Evann Guessand of Aston Villa have both made clumsy challenges against him in recent weeks.

Then his head was in his hands.

On the touchline, Moyes actively participated in the game's emotions. When Vitalii Mykolenko seemed to give up too early on a ball he believed was going out for a throw-in among a tangle of legs, his incredulity contrasted sharply with his rage at the challenge on Grealish.

Moyes just stood with his hands on his head for a few seconds as Sunderland took advantage of the opportunity and picked up the lost ball to make another attack down Everton's left.

Two clubs come together to emphasise the important things.

This event made it very evident that there are more significant things in life than football. Bradley Lowery, a Sunderland fan, won hearts all across the world throughout his fight against neuroblastoma before dying at the age of six. He developed an especially tight relationship with Everton, with former chairman Bill Kenwright providing him with substantial backing for his awareness-raising initiatives.

Gemma, Bradley's mother, went to Everton's home game against West Ham United since the team was supporting the Bradley Lowery Foundation, which was established in his honour. Reuben, a nine-year-old Sunderland fan who has been fighting leukaemia, led Everton out on Monday night after the team donated their mascot experience to the charity. The home end also unfurled a huge flag with Bradley on it at the beginning of the game, with the caption, "There is only one Bradley Lowery."

In a heartfelt remembrance of nine-year-old Sunderland supporter Anna Bradley, who lost her fight with a rare blood cancer last week, the stadium erupted in cheers in the ninth minute as well.

AWONIYI DOUBLE LEAVES NOTTINGHAM FOREST ON THE VERGE OF PREMIER LEAGUE SAFETY

BY ANKO Q

PUBLISHED 04/05/2026 AT GMT+3

Nottingham Forest moved closer to safety with a 3-1 win over Chelsea, while West Ham fell into the relegation zone after Spurs won.

Forest move six points clear of West Ham after crushing Chelsea away - Courtesy Picture

Nottingham Forest came out of the weekend looking pretty safe after pulling off an impressive 3-1 win at Chelsea. They’re almost clear of the relegation mess. Tottenham’s big away win at Aston Villa shook things up too, and now West Ham are back in the bottom three, running out of time faster than ever.

Forest have stepped up just when they needed to, leaving West Ham and Tottenham behind with a string of solid performances. Honestly, no one saw this coming, especially since Vitor Pereira shuffled his lineup with eight changes, fresh off a Europa League win against Aston Villa.

Even so, Forest were ahead within 90 seconds, thanks to Taiwo Awoniyi’s quick strike. By the 15th minute, Igor Jesus calmly buried a penalty after Malo Gusto’s reckless foul in the box. Chelsea had a chance to get back in it, but Cole Palmer wasted a penalty right before the break after a scary head collision involving Jesse Derry.

Awoniyi doubled down and scored again early in the second half, pushing Forest six points ahead of West Ham with just three games left.

West Ham’s weekend started badly; they looked flat and lost to Brentford. Things got worse Sunday night when Tottenham pulled off their first back-to-back Premier League wins since August 2025, beating a heavily rotated Aston Villa side 2-1.

Forest is now out of West Ham’s reach, or almost. Tottenham’s still close enough for Nuno Espirito Santo’s team to worry, but with three tough games coming up, Spurs could stay up even without another win, unless West Ham digs deep and pulls off something unexpected before their home finale against Leeds.

Right now, Forest can practically taste safety. Spurs finally see a way out after weeks of struggle. As for West Ham, they’re left hoping for a miracle, a last-minute twist to dodge the drop.

CESC FABREGAS CONFIRMS INTEREST IN PREMIER LEAGUE RETURN AMID CHELSEA'S MANAGER SEARCH

BY ERIC MUBIRU

PUBLISHED 04/05/2026 AT GMT+3

As Chelsea searches for a new manager, Cesc Fabregas breaks his silence on his future at Como and his Premier League ambitions.

"Mourinho was right," says Cesc after Chelsea’s 2015 double trophy-winning season - Courtesy Picture

Cesc Fabregas recalls exactly how a conversation with Jose Mourinho prompted him to join Chelsea, despite having the opportunity to return to Arsenal.

After winning six trophies in just three seasons, the Spanish World Cup winner left Barcelona for the second time in 2014. That summer, Fabregas made a move back to the Premier League, signing with Chelsea for about €33 million.

He already knew English football well. Fabregas had arrived at Arsenal as a 16-year-old from Barcelona in 2003 and made 212 Premier League appearances for them. When he decided to leave Barcelona, Manchester City also wanted him, but Chelsea convinced him, mostly thanks to Mourinho.

Talking with talkSPORT’s Rory Jennings on YouTube, Fabregas laid out how it all happened. “Honestly, when I made up my mind to leave Barcelona, my first thought was just to go back to Arsenal. They had this buyback clause; they had two weeks to use it after I told them I was leaving. They knew about it but didn’t take it. That surprised me a little, but in the end, I had to think about my career. I was 27, at the peak of my career, and I wanted to continue performing and winning trophies. City and Chelsea were both options.

“But when Mourinho spoke to me, that was it. He showed me his plans for the team and told me about Diego Costa, Courtois, and Filipe Luis and how, with those guys, we’d win the league. He was right, by the way. We won both the Premier League and the Carling Cup.”

Fabregas wasted no time winning over Chelsea fans. On his debut at Burnley, he set up two goals, including a stunning assist for Andre Schurrle. He finished his first season at Chelsea with five goals and 24 assists, along with Premier League and League Cup medals.

Things dipped the next season. Fabregas got just 15 goal contributions, and Chelsea slipped all the way to tenth. But when Antonio Conte took charge in 2016-17, they bounced back, and Fabregas picked up another league title.

He added an FA Cup win in 2018, his second, after his earlier one with Arsenal, and left for Monaco a few months later. His last Chelsea match came in the FA Cup against Nottingham Forest. When he got subbed off, he couldn’t hold back tears.

Chelsea supporters still sing about him; that “Oh, Fabregas is magic...” chant sticks around. And with his name in the conversation for a possible return, maybe they haven’t seen the last of him yet.

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EVERTON DOMINANCE EVAPORATES; PICKFORD, MOYES REACT WITH DISBELIEF AND FURY

Everton's draw at Sunderland felt like two points dropped after Iliman Ndiaye's opener was cancelled out by a deflected Granit Xhaka strike. Jordan Pickford's emotional return was a key storyline in a match filled with drama.

Jordan Pickford's distress over James Tarkowski's help

England's top player receives praise from everyone.

David Moyes is playing.

Then his head was in his hands.

Two clubs come together to emphasise the important things.

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AWONIYI DOUBLE LEAVES NOTTINGHAM FOREST ON THE VERGE OF PREMIER LEAGUE SAFETY

Nottingham Forest moved closer to safety with a 3-1 win over Chelsea, while West Ham fell into the relegation zone after Spurs won.

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CESC FABREGAS CONFIRMS INTEREST IN PREMIER LEAGUE RETURN AMID CHELSEA'S MANAGER SEARCH

As Chelsea searches for a new manager, Cesc Fabregas breaks his silence on his future at Como and his Premier League ambitions.

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