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Boxing Day brought a pummelling but no knockout blow. Sunderland scored an early knockdown and held on for the points win as Vito Mannone bit down on his gumshield.

Valiant Everton were left longing for that extra round as the visitors had their hand raised at the end of a pulsating contest.

Roberto Martinez walked down the tunnel yesterday evening with conflicting emotions as the Blues let slip the chance of going a full calendar year unbeaten at the Old Lady in the league.

It was the second time Everton have lost in the Premier League in his reign yet they were applauded from the field.

The Blues thrillingly went in search of an equaliser to Ki Sung-Yeung’s early penalty and though bloodied and bruised from the dismissal of Tim Howard, Everton dominated the second half of this fight.

Martinez spoke of being “proud” of his players and of their “incredible attitude” to playing with a man less for over an hour.

But the Everton manager also found room for criticism.

The Blues had double the number of attempts on goal that Sunderland did.

The team with 10 men had 26 efforts whereas the side with 11 players had only 13. Everton also had 11 corners to Sunderland’s two.

In many ways, it tells the story of Everton’s dominance.

But Martinez looked at those figures and quickly computed another conclusion.

“The only critical aspect I can have is we should finish some of those chances,” he said.

Mannone was outstanding but how many times did Everton create a chance close enough to see the whites of his eyes?

Martinez says not enough.

The Everton manager will tell his players at training today that they were not creative enough and that their guile and craft was not put to best use.

But the Blues boss may also pull Romelu Lukaku to one side and walk him through a replay of the second half.

The young Belgium was reborn after half-time.

Bursting with energy and determination, the 20-year-old did the running of two people.

Lukaku was inspirational and here, there and everywhere as Everton laid siege on the Sunderland goal.

But that was part of the problem – Lukaku was here, there and everywhere.

In a team reduced to 10 men, the on-loan striker’s link-up play and ability to hold the ball up was proving invaluable as Everton began to pin the Black Cats against the ropes.

But when most of the crosses came into the box, Everton were missing their hit-man.

Lukaku was almost trying too hard.

He wanted to cover every blade of grass.

The second half was played in a way that suits him down to the ground.

When the game is played a full throttle Lukaku comes alive.

When Everton are patient and precise, Lukaku has the tendency to become lost in games.

But this is part of the learning curve the Chelsea player is on.

Lukaku’s decision-making is not yet up there with his idols Didier Drogba or Diego Costa but he can use the defeat to Sunderland as a lesson.

He can also look at Nikica Jelavic.

Jelavic is quickly becoming the forgotten man at Goodison but in his 15-minute cameo he put himself into a number of decent positions in which to score the equaliser.

He so nearly found it as well, beating Mannone with a brave header only to see it cleared off the line by Fabio Borini.

It was also Jelavic, using his smarts and know-how, that won Everton a free-kick on the edge of the area.

Ross Barkley’s effort was goal-bound until it met another wondrous save from Mannone.

In time added on, Lukaku found himself in the best position he had taken up all afternoon but missed the ball when leaping to head Barkley’s corner.

It fittingly summed up Everton’s – and Lukaku’s – afternoon.

They must take this one on the chin and come out swinging.