Sunderland couldn't keep the Premier League wins rolling, as a superb solo strike from Iliman Ndiaye clinched Everton an away point on Monday night.
The Black Cats are now up to an incredible fourth position in the early league standings, though, even if they didn't make it three wins from their last three games in the challenging division.
Sunderland
On another night, however, Regis Le Bris' surprise package could well have leapt up the table even further to a jaw-dropping second spot by claiming a win.
Unfortunately for the hosts, however, the relentless Wilson Isidor failed to add to his Premier League goal tally, despite registering three efforts on goal.
Thankfully, the ever-reliable Granit Xhaka stepped up as Sunderland's new leader once more with his first strike since joining the club, as the Swiss enforcer stood out again as a calm, yet fierce figurehead.
Xhaka's best night for Sunderland yet
A fortuitous deflection guided Xhaka's early second-half effort past Jordan Pickford, but the ex-Arsenal midfielder wouldn't care one bit as he wheeled away in celebration.
Xhaka's last strike in the division came all the way back in May 2023, and while the number 34 has returned to England as a more seasoned 33-year-old, he continues to perform like a "fine wine" for Le Bris' men, as Sky Sports' Don Goodman put it.
Indeed, away from hammering home that crucial equaliser, Xhaka also managed to roll up his sleeves and win 100% of his tackles, as well as winning six duels.
Moreover, with a huge five key passes next to his name at the full-time whistle, Xhaka will feel disappointed that his lively performance from the middle of the park didn't spur his high-flying team to another excellent victory.
Granit-Xhaka-1
However, at the end of the day, Everton are no pushovers with the aforementioned Ndiaye running rings around Sunderland early on.
Still, despite Ndiaye impressing, Sky Sports' Jamie Carragher labelled Xhaka as being "head and shoulders" above everyone else on the pitch, in his glowing post-match rundown.
Yet, there was one under-the-radar star who was as impressive as Xhaka was for Le Bris' men by putting in another rock-solid display on Wearside.
Sunderland star was as impressive as Xhaka vs Everton
Le Bris named six new summer recruits in his starting XI for the test of David Moyes' side on Monday night, as the fresh blood that walked through the door in the hectic transfer window continues to largely impress.
Letshurel Geertruida is certainly in this bracket, as the season-long loanee from RB Leipzig lived up to his prior "monumental" billing by scout Antonio Mango yet again, by putting in another dominant defensive display in the Premier League up against the Toffees.
Geertruida's performance in numbers
Stat
Minutes played
Goals scored
Assists
Touches
Accurate passes
Possession lost
Successful dribbles
Tackles won
Interceptions
Clearances
Blocked shots
Recoveries
Total duels won
Stats by Sofascore
Looking at the table above, the Dutchman did all of his basics perfectly without any errors creeping in, with 100% of his tackles being won, on top of the 25-year-old also displaying plenty of energy in winning seven ball recoveries.
But, in a similar fashion to Xhaka, Geertruida also showed himself to be an assured operator with the ball at his feet, with only three of his 74 passes going astray, culminating in him walking off at the end with an unerring 96% pass accuracy.
Letshurel-Geertruida
Xhaka, despite putting in a man-of-the-match calibre showing himself, came up short with a slightly lesser 88% pass accuracy on his end, with Geertruida also matching his standout teammate in terms of tackles and duels won.
Often this season, the likes of Robin Roefs and Nordi Mukiele have stolen the limelight for their commanding showings at the back. But, against Everton, Geertruida would rightfully receive his flowers, as Roker Report journalist Andy Tomlinson dished out a high 8/10 post-match rating to the near flawless number six.
Sunderland just continue to take the Premier League by storm under Le Bris, with both Geertruida and Xhaka sticking out as key parts of the very successful Wearside jigsaw against Moyes and Co on Monday night.