A WEMBLEY final maybe on the horizon but this Everton side have got tunnel vision.

Any fears that their capital showdown with Chelsea would be a distraction and result in their campaign just petering out were eased by a comfortable victory at the Stadium of Light.

It was the perfect response to both the 2-1 home defeat at the hands of Manchester City and the crushing disappointment of losing defender Phil Jagielka for the rest of the season.

Agonising setbacks have been nothing new for the Blues this season with boss David Moyes battling against a hefty casualty list.

However, if there is one quality this closely-knit squad oozes more than any other it is resilience.

This lot roll with the punches and the Blues emphatically answered Moyes’ demand that momentum is maintained.

Victory lifted them into fifth place for the first time this season and with home dates against Spurs and West Ham followed by a final day trip to Fulham there’s a good chance they will finish there.

Considering the injuries and the limited size of Moyes’ squad that would be a remarkable achievement.

Steven Pienaar was the architect of this triumph as he brought a poor contest to life in the second half.

The South African broke the deadlock with a cool finish just after the break and then provided the cross for Marouane Fellaini to settle proceedings.

In truth the Blues barely had to get out of second gear to do the double over a wretched Sunderland side.

Locals had been desperately searching for lucky omens on the back of their embarrassing 3-0 defeat at rock-bottom West Brom.

Apparently no visiting team have lost more games or conceded more league goals on Wearside than Everton.

It was also 12 years to the day since Sunderland beat the Blues 3-0 in the last ever league game at Roker Park.