Sunderland return to Wearside for the first time since early November following a two-game trip to the capital.

Sunderland and Everton battled to a hard-earned point apiece in a pulsating clash on Wearside.

On-loan frontman Danny Welbeck continued his purple patch with a brace of goals and another impressive display.

His goals came either side of strikes from Tim Cahill and Mikel Arteta, six minutes in and seven minutes from the end respectively.

Sunderland looked like they could hold on to win until Arteta found the net with a deflected shot, but in all fairness the visitors’ performance merited a draw.

On an evening of high drama on Wearside, the action swung from end to end and either of the two sides could have come away with all three points.

In the build-up to the game, Sunderland chief Steve Bruce warned his side not to rest on their laurels following the win at Chelsea.

And, without the in-form Asamoah Gyan and key defender Titus Bramble, they had to recover from an early blow when Cahill converted the first real chance of the game.

Good approach play from Steven Pienaar and Leighton Baines cut Zenden and Nedum Onuoha out of the game, and Baines crossed for an unmarked Cahill to plant a firm header beyond Craig Gordon.

The Sunderland defence failed to track the run of the Australian, who gladly cashed in for his seventh goal of the season.

Looking for a response, the hosts almost had it when Jordan Henderson struck a low free-kick goalwards on 12 minutes, forcing Everton keeper Tim Howard to gather down low at the second attempt.

The chance could well have been converted had Michael Turner, stretching to meet the ball 10 yards out, managed to wrong-foot the keeper by getting a touch.

But Sunderland’s response deserved a goal and they eventually got one after 23 minutes.

Zenden was the architect, leaving Pienaar on his backside and beating Baines to the outside before crossing for Welbeck to slide home at the near post.

It was a great finish from the on-loan Manchester United striker, who stepped away from his marker and guided the ball low into the gap between Howard and the right-hand upright.

Suitably boosted, Sunderland piled forward and almost hit a quick-fire second when Kieran Richardson hammered a shot inches wide after the excellent Phil Bardsley did brilliantly to re-gain possession on the left.

But all of a sudden it was the home defence who were busiest. Gordon proved equal to a Pienaar blast from distance, while the keeper was grateful to team-mate Henderson for blocking a dangerous Cahill header on the line before captain Lee Cattermole completed a hurried clearance.

When the ball was pumped back into the box, keeper Gordon couldn’t gather in an aerial tangle near the edge of the area and Sylvain Distin blasted a decent opportunity over the bar with the keeper grounded.

Everton turned the screw in the closing stages of the opening half with Gordon forced to save from both Seamus Coleman and Louis Saha. However, Sunderland did end the half with an opportunity; leading scorer Darren Bent flicking Bardsley’s cross over the top.

Sunderland began the second half well, coming close when the lively Welbeck wriggled into space on the edge of the box and loosed off a shot which took a deflection on its way into the hands of Howard.

Then Cattermole’s driving run was ended by an Everton challenge in the box, and although the ball dropped loose to Zenden, he couldn’t keep his shot down.

But just when the home side looked like they were getting on top, Everton responded and again keeper Gordon was grateful to a colleague for preventing a second goal.

Phil Neville’s angled ball released Cahill, and his lob beat the keeper only for Turner to stretch out a long leg and hook the ball off the line – colliding heavily with the goalpost as he did so.

With the visitors pushing – Gordon was relieved to see an effort from Pienaar deflected wide after Cattermole gave the ball away – Bruce attempted to shore up his midfield by replacing Zenden with Steed Malbranque with 69 minutes played.

Just moments later, a superb through ball from Welbeck sent Bent streaking away, but the England striker saw his shot deflected wide by a superb saving tackle from Phil Jagielka.

However, Sunderland were not to be denied on their next attack.

A half-cleared corner was guided back out to the right by Cattermole, Richardson slung in a made-to-measure cross and that man Welbeck rose highest to flick a header over Howard, under the crossbar and into the far corner of the net.

But Everton weren’t to be denied and they were level 12 minutes after conceding, following a spell of heavy pressure.

The visitors worked the ball across the box to Arteta, who shrugged off Welbeck’s challenge and got a shot away which deflected off the boot of the unlucky Bardsley and past a wrong-footed Gordon.

This one could have gone either way as chances went begging at either end in a breathless final few minutes.

Sub Malbranque was key in the closing stages, feeding Welbeck to shoot into the side-netting before blasting wide himself soon afterwards.

But the real drama was reserved for injury time. With time ticking away, Malbranque pulled the ball down for Welbeck, whose low shot from 10 yards slithered between a defender’s legs but flashed agonisingly wide of the post.

And sub Jermaine Beckford almost had the last word, surging between the Sunderland centre-backs to meet a through ball but blasting his effort over the bar with only Gordon to beat.

Sunderland: Gordon, Onuoha, Bardsley, Turner, Ferdinand, Zenden (Malbranque, 69), Richardson, Cattermole (C), Henderson (Elmohamady, 85), Welbeck, Bent.

Subs Not Used: Mignolet, Angeleri, Adams, Da Silva, Riveros.

Booked: None.

Sent Off: None.

Everton: Howard, Jagielka, Baines, Distin, Heitinga (Beckford, 82), Coleman (Rodwell, 66), Pienaar, Arteta, Neville (C), Cahill, Saha (Yakubu, 82)

Subs Not Used: Mucha, Hibbert, Bilyaletdinov, Gueye.

Booked: Heitinga (18), Rodwell (74).

Sent Off: None.

Danny Welbeck scored twice as Sunderland claimed a point at home against Everton