Full-time: Everton 0 Sunderland 2

WHEN Jermain Defoe arrived from Major League Soccer in January, he was described as the man that was going to keep Sunderland in the Premier League.

And while the former England striker’s four goals have undoubtedly played a part in reviving the club’s fortunes, it is another striker who is turning out to be this year’s unlikely hero.

Twelve months after Connor Wickham found his feet after years of struggle to spearhead Sunderland’s Great Escape under Gus Poyet, Danny Graham has become a pivotal part of the fight to beat the drop this time around.

Graham might not quite have found the sort of form which saw Wickham hit five goals in three decisive games last April, but he is enjoying a renaissance – and he finally has a goal to celebrate too.

At the 28th time of asking during 28 months on Wearside following a £5m move from Swansea City, Graham is finally off the mark in a Sunderland shirt.

After a couple of bright displays against Stoke and Southampton, which earned rave reviews from Dick Advocaat and greater support from fans, the 29-year-old got a little bit of fortune in front of goal to push Sunderland on course for a crucial three points in the relegation run-in.

At the same Goodison Park venue where Jon Stead ended a ten month wait for a first Sunderland goal in April 2006, Graham’s even longer drought also came to an end on the blue side of Stanley Park. He almost looked embarrassed to celebrate, but soon warmed to it. Who can blame him?

When Jordi Gomez’s goalbound shot was helped beyond Tim Howard by Graham’s leg eight minutes after half-time, the former Middlesbrough striker was up and running. Defoe, who added a similarly fortunate second five minutes from full-time, shared Graham’s relief.

Defoe said: “It’s massive. He keeps running, keeps running. If you continue doing that you will always get lucky and he got that at Everton. Hopefully he will do the same next week and I’d be delighted for him.

“The lads were delighted for him. Danny is a top, top guy. He works so hard. You know when you have someone in your team you know he has goals. It is difficult because he is up there on his own with me and Connor on either side of him but he was brilliant. It was only a matter of time before he got his goals.”

It was perfect timing for Graham to find the net, with Sunderland’s Premier League future in serious doubt before it received a huge lift courtesy of Graham and Defoe’s goals on Merseyside.

Defoe said: “It is an important goal. Even if he scored 20 before this it doesn’t matter because at the end of the day this goal was a massive goal and there’s a lot of pressure.

“He has always kept going, kept going. You would never look at him and think he has had a hard time, he is always positive. He is a great lad and he works hard for the team. He works hard for the team.”

While Graham wondered when his next goal would arrive, Defoe always knew he would not have to wait long for his next – and he was right.

The prolific former Tottenham striker has not found the net as often as he would have liked on Wearside, but he was confident his first since scoring the stunning winner against Newcastle was just around the corner.

Defoe said: “Lucky enough, over my career, wherever I've been, I've always been able to score goals. It's been difficult this season. Every game is difficult, scrapping for results. But it is important to work hard, wait for that luck and retain your belief in your ability.

“It is a case of getting in the right areas. I had to get in the box, and was in the right place, the ball came to me and it was a tap in. It was a big goal, and we hope it is going to be important.”

Everton had not lost at home since Boxing Day and Sunderland were without an away win in 2015, so it was never going to be a straight forward day out for the men from Wearside.

But it soon became clear that Costel Pantilimon was not going to be beaten easily when he raced out a couple of times to deny Romelu Lukaku in the opening half.

After Graham had flicked Sunderland ahead shortly after half-time, Everton dominated possession and looked for an equaliser.

Sebastian Coates and Wes Brown led the defence superbly to frustrate the Toffees and the closest they came to scoring was when James McCarthy crashed a shot against the foot of the post.

Just when Sunderland fans must have sensed Everton would equalise, Defoe secured the extra goal cushion. Steven Fletcher’s run in to the box ended with him losing his feet but still made a pass to fellow substitute Adam Johnson.

The winger’s shot deflected off McCarthy and Defoe was on hand to turn over the line using his thigh from close range. The points had been secured and, ahead of Saturday’s visit of Leicester, Sunderland are two clear of the relegation zone and are playing with confidence.

Defoe said: “We were solid and organised and don't look like a side at the bottom, and this was a difficult game. It was never going to be easy, so to win here 2-0 was huge.

“You need a bit of luck, and yeah, we got it. I think you get that luck when you work so hard as a team. There has been a lot of pressure on us, there is a lot of pressure surrounding this, but we have been bright and worked really hard in training.

“We handled the pressure and that is credit to everyone at the club. To win two on the bounce, it is the right time to get some momentum. It is difficult, such a tough league every game home or away. To win the game like we did, it's brilliant.”