Danny Graham scored his first goal for the club, inadvertently turning home a Jordi Gomez strike on 54 minutes at Goodison Park, and Jermain Defoe added a late second to catapult the visitors out of the relegation zone and into 14th place - for a couple of hours at least.

Everton dominated the match for long periods, winning 15 corners and hitting a post through James McCarthy, but despite creating plenty of opportunities, they only mustered four shots on target. 

Sunderland boss Dick Advocaat has now taken 10 points from a possible 18 since taking over from Gus Poyet at the end of March and his side have 36 points in total, with three fixtures remaining against Leicester, Arsenal and Chelsea.

Sunderland started in a defensive 4-5-1 system with Defoe on the right wing and Everton found their stride quickly.

Leon Osman found space on the edge of the area inside seven minutes and whipped an effort just wide of the far upright. 

Osman was at the heart of most of Everton's promising attacks as playmaker Ross Barkley struggled to get into the game and the Everton stalwart found Romelu Lukaku with a splendid through ball on 13 minutes but Costel Pantilimon was alert to the danger to race off his line and make a last-ditch tackle.

Pantilimon was to the rescue again on 41 minutes, this time closing down Lukaku on the edge of his six-yard box after a nice change of pace from the front man. Sunderland failed to clear the danger and Osman should have done better from the edge of the box but fired straight at the visitors' ‘keeper, who gave a roar of appreciation at his efforts. 

Sunderland had offered little as an attacking force in the opening period but opened the scoring nine minutes into the second half. 

Gomez took aim from 20 yards and his strike was heading off target until it hit the inside of Graham’s left leg, looped up over Tim Howard and nestled in the net off the right-hand post.

Everton kept on coming after going behind but a mixture of poor decision-making by their forwards and some brave last-ditch defending by the visitors kept Sunderland’s noses in front.

Such was Everton’s wastefulness, Sunderland full-back Patrick van Aanholt actually created one of the better chances of the half with a mesmerising individual run on 62 minutes that took him one-one-one with Howard but he blasted wide from a tight angle. 

Everton continued to press and win corner after corner but the ball just wouldn’t drop for them in the area. Lukaku fired wide from 10 yards before McCarthy came closest with a crisp drive from 15 yards that rocketed back off the post.

Just as the Everton fans were strapping themselves in for a grandstand finish, Sunderland performed a second perfect classic smash-and-grab raid.

After soaking up the pressure, they hit the hosts on the counter with substitute Adam Johnson firing a shot from a tight angle that took a deflection off Seamus Coleman’s hip, flew across the face of the goal and Defoe was on hand inside the six-yard box to force the ball home.

Player Ratings

Everton: Howard (6), Coleman (6), Stones (7), Jagielka (6), Baines (6), McCarthy (6), Barry (6), Lennon (6), Barkley (6), Osman (7), Lukaku (6)

Subs: Garbutt (6), Mirallas (6).

Sunderland: Pantilimon (7), Jones (7), Coates (7), Brown (6), van Aanholt (7), Larsson (6), Cattermole (8), Gomez (6), Wickham (7), Graham (7), Defoe (8).

Subs: Bridcutt (6), Johnson (7), Fletcher (6).

Man of the Match: Lee Cattermole

Cleverley is on loan at Aston Villa from Manchester United, and the Germans have joined a list of teams interested in signing him that includes Everton, Arsenal, and Villa themselves.

The midfielder is waiting until the end of the season to decide where he'll play next season.

Sky sources understand one big factor is his international future. He is desperate to get back into the England squad after starting all the qualifiers leading up to the World Cup.

Cleverley has hinted that he could stay with Villa, insisting money is not a factor.

"I don't think any Premier League players are going to be short of a quid or two," Cleverley said. "You have just got to be happy first of all.

"And I am at this club, so let's see where we go from there. I think first and foremost you have to be playing at a club where you fit in.

"Where you're playing in the position where you want to play and where you like the manager, the lads, this club ticks those boxes.

"We'll just see what happens but first the club have got to offer me something. Those talks haven't taken place yet. I just know my contract runs out on June 30 at Man United, that's my position."

Cech has been displaced as first choice keeper after 10 seasons in west London by Thibaut Courtois.

The Czech international is understandably frustrated and has been linked with a summer move to Arsenal, but Mourinho is adamant he wants the 32-year-old to stay and certainly does not want him going to another Premier League side.

"One thing is Jose Mourinho and another is Mr Abramovich and another thing is the board because the board includes a little bit of me, a little bit of other people," he said.

"But if it was me, if it was my decision, my decision is Petr to stay. That's it. It would be my decision for Petr to stay."

Such a stance may upset Cech but Mourinho said he would be willing to go against the will of the player for the betterment of the club.

"I think that the club is more important than the players and, as was proved this season, the club needs two very good goalkeepers," he said.

"Without Petr this season, I don't think the club would be champions because he played six important matches in the Premier League and without these points we probably wouldn't be champions.

"So for me, decision number one: Petr will stay. After that, second point to go but not in England. The option I don't want is for him to go to an English club.

"But, I repeat, I am just the manager and he means so much for this club and what he did in this club I think he deserves everything from this club.

"If the club decision is different to mine, I will accept with all the respect."

Watch Chelsea v Liverpool on Super Sunday on Sky Sports 1 HD from 3.30pm.

Marouane Fellaini capitalised on a mistake from Julian Speroni to score the winner 12 minutes from full-time after Jason Puncheon had cancelled out Juan Mata’s first-half penalty with a well-executed free-kick.

The victory moved United seven points clear of fifth-placed Liverpool in the Premier League table, meaning that if Brendan Rodgers’ side lose to Chelsea on Sunday, Louis van Gaal’s team will be guaranteed a place in the top four.

Palace went into the game knowing they were mathematically safe from relegation thanks to results elsewhere earlier in the day but fell to a fourth defeat in a row, despite a spirited second-half fightback.

The hosts started quickly but United soon began to control possession and almost went ahead when Daley Blind saw a goal-bound 25-yard left-footer turned around the post by Julian Speroni.

They continued to ramp up the pressure and after Ander Herrera had also flashed a long-range shot wide, they finally made the breakthrough, in the 19th minute, when Scott Dann blocked Ashley Young’s left-wing cross with his arm and Mata stroked home the resulting penalty.

Herrara could have made it 2-0 three minutes later but scooped a half-volley over from 10 yards after a nod down from Marouane Fellaini.

Palace threatened only sporadically from set pieces and counter-attacks down the wings, but they should have equalised when Mile Jedinak met a corner from the right after 26 minutes, only to steer his header high and wide.

Manager Alan Pardew replaced Joe Ledley with Jason Puncheon at half-time and they were a different team in the second period as the extra attacker and a more urgent pressing game saw them wrestle control of the game from United.

Glenn Murray hit the side-netting with a deft flick after 50 minutes and Puncheon had a credible claim for a penalty turned down four minutes later, but they were finally rewarded for their vast improvement in the 57th minute.

Murray won a free-kick from Chris Smalling on the left edge of the box and Puncheon punished United with a beautifully measured strike, although Blind in the wall was guilty of allowing the ball to fly over his head too easily.

United regained some control around the hour mark but Palace continued to create chances at will and after James McArthur had curled a shot wide, both Murray and Wilfried Zaha were denied by fine stops from the excellent David De Gea.

United were also threatening as the game became an end-to-end duel, and it was the visitors who snatched the inevitable winning goal. The outstanding Ashley Young crossed the from the left and the flight of the ball deceived Speroni, allowing Fellaini to nod home the winner into an empty net at the back post.

There was a setback earlier in the game for United when Wayne Rooney, who started as a lone striker, had to be replaced at half-time by Radamel Falcao with what appeared to be a dead leg.

Player ratings

Crystal Palace: Speroni (4), Ward (4), Dann (5), Delaney (6), Souare (6), Jedinak (6), Ledley (6), McArthur (7), Zaha (7), Bolasie (7), Murray (7).

Subs: Puncheon (8), Lee (6), Chamakh (6).

Manchester United: De Gea (8), Valencia (6), Jones (6), Smalling (6), Shaw (6), Blind (6), Herrera (7), Mata (7), Fellaini (7), Young (8), Rooney (6).

Subs:  Evans (6), McNair (6), Falcao (6).

Man of the match: Ashley Young

The sports channel beIN Sports tweeted on Saturday afternoon that the Bayern boss had reached a verbal agreement to take over at the Etihad.

But, speaking on Sky Sports, Spanish football expert Balague said there is absolutely no truth in the claim.

“I have asked both clubs and the entourage of the manager and two of the three have come out with the same word: rubbish,” said Balague.

“It is nonsense, nothing in it - no agreement, no talks, nothing in it at all.”

Guardiola’s Bayern Munich suffered their fourth straight defeat on Saturday as they were shocked 1-0 at home by Ausburg in the Bundesliga and face Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final, second leg on Tuesday trailing 3-0 after defeat in Spain.

City manager Manuel Pellegrini has refused to be drawn on questions about his future after the defending champions fell short in their defence of their Premier League title this season and face QPR on Sunday, live on Super Sunday.

Danny Welbeck (knee) is almost certainly out but could return the following week against former club Manchester United.

Mikel Arteta (ankle), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (groin) and Mathieu Debuchy (hamstring) remain absent, along with Abou Diaby (knee).

Swansea striker Bafetimbi Gomis is set to be thrust back into action at Arsenal on Monday night with loan signing Nelson Oliveira unlikely to play again this season.

Gomis has missed the last three games with a hamstring injury but has been back in training this week and his return could not be more timely with Oliveira having picked up an ankle injury against Stoke last weekend.

Spanish defender Jordi Amat (broken metatarsal) has joined Oliveira, Kyle Naughton, Tom Carroll and Wayne Routledge on the sidelines but full-backs Jazz Richards and Dwight Tiendalli are available following respective loan spells at Fulham and Middlesbrough.

The 26-year-old, whom Wenger signed from Southampton as a 17-year-old, is out of contract at the end of next season and negotiations have begun over a new deal.

The Frenchman is optimistic the fact discussions have started means Walcott wishes to stay.

"We are already talking to him," said Wenger, speaking ahead of Monday's home clash with Swansea.

"When you go into negotiations with a player it is with a desire for him to stay. He looks keen to do it and I am keen to do it, so let's see what comes out.

"We are always in the mode where we want to be successful. In case of failure, we'll see.

"But in case of failure - that will only be in December next year."