IF Sunderland’s supporters are possibly finding their team hard to watch at the moment, then they are certainly sick of the sight of Tim Cahill.

Normally the most loyal and passionate of travelling armies, only 600 Black Cats followers made the trip down from the North East to Goodison last night.

And they were probably wondering why they had bothered after Everton produced the perfect response to seeing their road to Wembley halted five days earlier.

Not for the first time, Cahill proved Sunderland’s tormentor-in-chief.

The Australian sent Everton on their way with the opener in the seventh minute before turning creator shortly afterwards to provide Landon Donovan his first goal since arriving at Goodison earlier this month.

Cahill now has six career goals against Sunderland and it was his strike for Millwall in 2004 that denied the Black Cats a place in the FA Cup final.

Everton’s own hopes of an instant return to the showpiece occasion were dashed by Birmingham City at the weekend, but the Premier League is proving more fertile ground of late.

And if ever there was a fixture tailor-made to rebuild momentum, it was this one.

Sunderland had conceded 15 goals in their last four away games – seven coming in their calamitous defeat at Chelsea – and hadn’t won on 10 games on their travels.

And with Everton unbeaten in the past 11 meetings between the sides, everything pointed to a home victory.

David Moyes’s side required a late Marouane Fellaini strike to salvage point at the Stadium of Light on Boxing Day, but no such rescue act was necessary last night.

Moyes and Wearside counterpart Steve Bruce engaged in some mutual appreciation before the game, but it’s the latter who still has much to learn from his Goodison rival on this evidence.

While Sunderland freefall towards the relegation zone, Everton continue to head in the opposite direction. They are now unbeaten in their last eight Premier League games and can take further encouragement from their injury list finally beginning to clear.

With new signing Philippe Senderos joining Mikel Arteta, Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, James Vaughan and the returning Victor Anichebe among the substitutes, Moyes had a strength available on the bench that has been conspicuous by its absence this season.

Competition for places will increase further with both Jack Rodwell and Dan Gosling on the brink of first-team contention and Joseph Yobo and Yakubu due back from the African Cup of Nations next week, leaving only Phil Jagielka as the main injury concern.

Leon Osman was rewarded for his goal as substitute on Saturday by replacing Bilyaletdinov in the starting line-up, but otherwise this was the same team that slumped out of the FA Cup in disappointing fashion, Moyes giving his players the chance of redemption.

It was taken. Having berated them for their lacklustre start at the weekend, the Goodison manager could have no such complaints here, his team’s bright opening effectively settling the game inside the first quarter.

Everton took just seven minutes to expose the soft centre of Sunderland’s defence, with a little help from the visitors and an assistant referee.