Tim Cahill fires as fast-starting Everton increase Sunderland's woe

The days of beating Liverpool with a beach ball and Arsenal on merit are passing into a different era for Steve Bruce. It was only the onset of winter when Sunderland ­defeated those Champions League regulars and a new dawn supposedly ­beckoned at the Stadium of Light, but they are careering towards trouble now. Only three points separate Sunderland from the relegation zone after another anaemic away display enabled Everton to ease to victory at Goodison Park courtesy of the dominant Tim Cahill and a first goal in English football for Landon Donovan. Eight league games unbeaten have left David Moyes glancing upwards at clubs he can reel in. But Bruce, without a league win since Arsenal on 21 November, is back in the territory Sunderland thought they had left behind. "We had a wonderful start and a horrible couple of months, and we've got back-to-back home games that will define our season now," said Bruce, whose side host Stoke and Wigan before a trip to Portsmouth. "We must, must get points from those games and I am convinced we will." But not with defending like this. Had Everton started in a similar fashion against Birmingham on Saturday they would still be in the FA Cup, although Moyes could not have hand-picked better opponents to give him the reaction he had demanded. Sunderland have not won away from home in 11 matches, and the scars from that 7-2 annihilation at Chelsea are still raw, but it is the disruption caused to their defence by injury that has had a profound effect. Only six minutes had elapsed when Everton took the lead with a goal of annoying simplicity for Bruce. Having conceded a needless free-kick with a Lee Cattermole swipe at Steven Pienaar, Sunderland retrieved then lost possession through Kieran Richardson before ­standing off Marouane Fellaini as he deliberated when and where to cross into their area. The Belgian picked out Cahill with a lofted chip over Nyron ­Nosworthy and a back-flick from the ­Australia forward, who was ­marginally offside, sailed beyond the stranded Craig Gordon. More lightweight defending destroyed Sunderland's night before they had ­mustered an attack of their own. Again, it required little ingenuity from Everton to prise open the visitors' defence. Sunderland could not handle the movement or aerial prowess of Cahill and he easily beat the new signing Matthew Kilgallon to Leighton Baines's long ball. Louis Saha's run dragged Nosworthy out of position and the on-loan Donovan collected Cahill's knock-down to shoot low under Gordon. Chants of "USA, USA" marked the American's first goal for Everton, showing there is still a football ground on Merseyside where that is acceptable. "It was too easy for Everton," Bruce said. "Two crosses into our box and we haven't defended properly. We have had to use 13 or 14 different back fours this season and it shows. We cannot get settled, but we need a better attitude than we showed in the first half." Sunderland did improve in the second half, though only after George McCartney had denied Donovan on the goalline and John Mensah produced an outstanding tackle to thwart Saha inside his own area, but what half-chances they created were wasted by Kenwyne Jones. "Rafa, Rafa, sign him up," the Everton fans taunted the Liverpool transfer target. Worryingly for Jones, the Sunderland fans joined in.