WE all have some troubles in our lives but whenever we're feeling blue - and Evertonians certainly have been so far throughout this supposedly festive period - we're told to count our blessings as there's always someone worse off than yourself.

Fortunately for Everton, for all Sunderland's pluck and determination, the Wearsiders are, statistically at least, the poorest side ever to have graced the Premier-ship.

The prospect of defeat against such feeble opposition, which would have extended Everton's of consecutive loses to five in December, was almost unbearable. But for many agonising minutes of the second half, such a Doomsday scenario looked like becoming an inevitable reality.

Fortunately, in Sunderland, Everton found a team even more down on their luck than themselves, and despite creating a hatful of chances that could have won several games, the hosts were unable to make a breakthrough.

You can't smile too widely when you look back on a game which saw you pinned around your own penalty area for sustained periods by a team which lacks so much in both quality and confidence.

However, the fact is that Everton have now stopped the rot and secured what will probably be another crucial 1-0 win.

Dean Whitehead's inability to pick up Tim Cahill for a stoppage-time header could go down in Everton folklore alongside Kevin Brock's dodgy backpass saving Howard Kendall at Oxford United in 1984.

Sunderland are a stark warning to Everton of what they could become if they ever lose one of their relegation battles.