Sunderland boss Gus Poyet has taken a swipe at his team's critics.
Poyet has reminded Sunderland's doubters that victory against Everton would see them equal the tally of 14 points that they held on New Year's Day last season.
"This has been a better start," he said. "Last year took us so long to get to 10 points and (survival) was looking impossible.
"Everything before the game (their 3-1 win at Crystal Palace on Monday) was so dark and negative. You need to win to change that and to show people it's not all that bad.
"Getting that win was massive. We had to stay positive and believe in what we do."
