Xhaka's effort propels Sunderland to fourth spot following Everton stalemate

Sunderland rose into the Premier League's top four thanks to Granit Xhaka's deflected shot that secured a 1-1 draw against Everton at home on Monday.

The Black Cats could have surged to second place with a win but they were dominated in the opening half and fell behind due to Iliman Ndiaye's stunning solo goal.

Everton rued their failure to capitalise on their early superiority as Thierno Barry squandered a clear opportunity and Jack Grealish struck the woodwork.

Sunderland responded almost immediately after the break when Xhaka's attempt looped off James Tarkowski to wrong-foot England shot-stopper Jordan Pickford upon his comeback to the Stadium of Light.

The hosts then appeared more poised to grab the win yet Wilson Isidor wasted their prime opportunity to seal the points.

"The opening 25 minutes fell short of our standards," Xhaka remarked to Sky Sports. "In this league you pay for errors but we improved greatly after the interval."

This result preserves Sunderland's flawless record on home soil and underscores their strong beginning to a return to the elite division after an eight-year absence.

Everton pull six points away from the relegation zone in 14th position but their evident shortage of a clinical striker once more denied them the spoils.

"For about 20 to 30 minutes I feared we'd leave with just a draw and feel let down. By full time though I was content with the point we earned," Everton manager David Moyes commented.

"We let slip a golden chance to go two up front and that boosted Sunderland's morale while firing up the supporters."

A touch of brilliance handed the away team the advantage on 15 minutes as Ndiaye weaved past four Sunderland players before slotting into the upper corner for his fourth strike this campaign.

Grealish subsequently rattled the upright from distance but Barry's glaring failure will haunt the fans returning to Merseyside.

The forward remains goalless following his £27 million ($35 million) transfer from Villarreal last July and could hardly have found an easier finish than blasting wide with an open net at the far post from Grealish's delivery.

Even after a lacklustre first period Sunderland equalised inside 44 seconds of the restart as Xhaka bagged his debut goal for the club since arriving from Bayer Leverkusen.

The draw lifts Sunderland past Tottenham and Chelsea while matching Liverpool on points.

However they must elevate their game to safeguard their perfect streak at the Stadium of Light when table-toppers Arsenal arrive on Saturday.