Phil Smith: I watched Sunderland's FA Cup win at Everton and these were my key conclusions

Sunderland progressed to the fourth round of the FA Cup after a penalty shootout win over Everton.

Phil Smith was at the Hill Dickinson Stadium reporting for The Echo and these were his key conclusions...

Sunderland rewarded for FA Cup approach

Had Sunderland gone done the usual route of rotating almost their entire XI for this game, exiting meekly before talking about the bigger picture ahead, would there have been much of a murmur? A stretched squad in the red zone after a punishing festive schedule would have been offered as mitigation and probably been largely accepted. So credit to Sunderland, Régis Le Bris and his players for turning the logic of recent years on its head. Sunderland are now highly unlikely to be relegated this season and though the schedule right now is relentless, that won't be the case later in the season. Exit this competition early, and a top-tier side can be left facing weeks at a time without a fixture. The potential for the momentum and the feel good factor the club has been building to ebb away would have increased significantly.

Across the board Le Bris's players put their hand up when they could have argued fatigue: Xhaka played despite having kicked just about every ball this season, Noah Sadiki driving through 120 minutes just days after his return from Morocco, Enzo Le Fée despite playing every game over the festive schedule and suffering from illness in the build up to this one.

Respect was shown to the competition, the opposition and the near 8,000-strong away end. It was mightily refreshing to witness, and an encouraging reflection of the club's ambition. Can Sunderland get to the latter stages of the competition this year? Maybe not, or at least not without a lot of luck. But why not give themselves every chance? On Saturday, Sunderland did exactly that and got their reward.

Penalty shootout win was thoroughly deserved

Though the XG ended up in Everton's favour, that was almost exclusively because of their 89th-minute penalty that should never have been awarded. The point being: Sunderland thoroughly deserved to go through to the next round and that bodes well for the rest of the campaign.

Aside from a five-minute spell when Harrison Armstrong fired wide from the edge of the box, Sunderland were the better side in the first half and even if clear chances were not exactly flowing, only two excellent Jordan Pickford saves kept Everton in the game. Eliezer Mayenda, lively throughout, was then very close to adding a second after a good counter in the second half. The Black Cats did drop off and Le Bris's substitutions didn't really work, but Everton didn't look like scoring until the assist from the referee late on. Sunderland then rallied again and were the stronger side in extra time, aside from one tired Trai Hume pass that created an opening for Beto.

Of course Everton's long list of absentees were a factor in the result, particularly in the wide areas where Jack Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye were missing. It was still a starting XI that boasted plenty of quality and Premier league experience, however, and so Sunderland's performance was encouraging. There were similarities with a decent performance away at Brighton just before Christmas, in which Sunderland showed they are growing more comfortable with longer spells of possession at this level. The finished article? Not by a long shot. But there is evidence at times that they are improving on the ball and that Le Bris's options were growing. Mayenda took a real step forward here leading the line on his own, and Le Fée's emergence in a central area is starting to make a real difference. Sunderland have so much to improve but the signs are genuinely promising.

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Enzo underlines his growing Sunderland performance

Le Fée was brilliant in this game, though that should come as no surprise. He has been Sunderland's most consistent player over the festive period, and his sumptuous

volley crowned what has been a period of major progress. Having started the season out of Le Bris's XI, the midfielder is now one of the very first names on the teamsheet.

He combines creativity and guile with a tireless work rate, and his superb penalty to get Sunderland up and running in the shootout was a reminder of how good he has been from the spot this season generally. It also underlined his elite mentality, brushing off the criticism and disappointment of Wednesday night and responding in the best way possible. He is increasingly looking to be another bargain addition for this club. On which note, around £10 million for Robin Roefs? Outrageous business. Sunderland could triple that in this window. Thankfully, he's likely to be around on Wearside for a good while yet.

Sunderland stalwart takes his chance - another moves closer to the exit

There had been some questions marks over Luke O'Nien's future coming into this game, with Sunderland's defensive strength suggesting game time would be limited over the rest of the campaign. Nothing has changed in that regard, but O'Nien's performance underlined how important he can still be. The experienced centre back didn't just get through this game but excelled in it, dominant in his defensive battle with Beto and strong in his distribution. Sunderland would have been loathe to lose such a significant figure in their dressing room this month, and so will have been pleased that O'Nien has made it clear he has no intention of departing this month. Having worked so hard to get to this level there's no need to rush into a decision, and O'Nien showed here that he will be ready if the opportunity comes in the league.

While this felt like a step forward for O'Nien and something of a resolution on his short-term future, Dan Neil now looks closer to the exit than ever. It had been anticipated that this AFCON period would essentially be make or break for Sunderland career, and he has just a few minutes off the bench when his team were trailing 3-0 at Brentford under his belt. With Sadiki back and Habib Diarra to follow over the next fortnight, there doesn't seem to be a way back.

Your next Sunderland read: Régis Le Bris explains Brian Brobbey sub at Everton and reveals new Sunderland injury concern