A perfect night: Six things we learned from Sunderland's win over Everton

Two points from their final two games would have been enough but Sunderland did it in style, thumping Everton 3-0 in front of their jubilant home support.

Here’s what we learned from the resounding victory:

Victory capped a perfect night on Wearside:

Sunderland fans couldn’t have planned it any better.

A 3-0 win over a hopeless Everton side to secure their Premier League status for a tenth consecutive season, while sending fierce rivals Newcastle United down in the process.

The Stadium of Light was bouncing at the final whistle, Big Sam king cheerleader for the post-match lap of appreciation.

It had threatened to be a damp squib had Sunderland not won. But they pulled it off in style.

And once the celebrations are out of the way, the focus must be on making sure they don’t come so close to the drop again. In Big Sam, they have the perfect man for the job.

Thankfully Patrick van Aanholt stayed on the pitch!

The marauding Dutch left-back was a big injury concern when he came off worse from a challenge with Matthew Pennington midway through the first half.

He was hobbling for a good minute before eventually calling for the physio.

Sunderland – with just Billy Jones on the bench as a replacement full-back – were desperate for him to stay on.

And thankfully he did - with the former Newcastle United loanee firing home the free-kick in the 38th minute to give Sunderland the lead.

What was Robles doing?

He left too much space on his left-hand side so made the move to cover there when van Aanholt struck his shot, with ball eventually going in the exact spot where he was originally standing.

Younes Kaboul led from the back:

The Frenchman was superb, keeping tabs on Romelu Lukaku all evening, frustrating Everton’s big No 10.

Kaboul even found time to go on two mazy runs up the other end of the pitch too, one of which almost ended in the first goal but his shot was just wide of Robles’ goal.

Lamine Kone will steal the headlines for his two goals but Kaboul was just as impressive at the back.

The pair have forged a superb partnership in recent months with John O’Shea not able to get a look-in.

Who had Lamine Kone down for a double?

Kone has captured the hearts of the Wearside faithful since arriving for £5million in the January transfer window.

What an absolute bargain he has proved to be. He was subbed for tactical reasons against Chelsea but he was back with a bang against Everton.

Solid as a rock at the back and two goals to boot – the first was an unstoppable shot from close range.

The odds of him bagging a brace would have been pretty high but it mattered not, his two goals helped secure £100million plus for his club.

All hail King Kone!

Sunderland were superb but how bad were Everton?

It was the perfect performance from Sunderland at a rampant Stadium of Light.

The opening 20 minutes were understandably cagey but once the nerves settled, Sunderland began to flex their muscles.

This was an outstanding display both defensively and offensively. Sunderland were clinical but how bad were Everton?

They conceded three goals in back-to-back Premier League games for the first time since November 2009. And it could have been far more.

Surely Roberto Martinez doesn’t have long left at Goodison Park, he is clinging onto his job.

Jan Kirchhoff one of the club’s best EVER signings:

As ever, Jan Kirchhoff was substituted with around 20 minutes to go.

It is a common occurrence but this time it gave Sunderland fans the chance to show their appreciation for one of the best signings the club has ever pulled off.

An absolute snip at just £750,000, the former Bayern Munich man has been key to Sunderland’s survival this season.

Forgetting his horror- show debut at Spurs in central defence, since then he has made the holding midfield role his own.

Superb against Martinez’s side. He was given a standing ovation and rightly so.

Now the club needs to tie him down to a new long-term deal.