JUST a week after celebrating a record-busting sixth consecutive win over Newcastle United, Sunderland’s defensive weaknesses reared their ugly head again to make sure there was no danger of another impressive run continuing at Goodison Park.

Sam Allardyce, encouraged by the way his side had conceded just one in his opening two games in charge against West Brom and the Magpies, cut a frustrated figure on the touchline as his attempts to build some momentum after last week’s heroics were torn apart in front of him.

Everton, looking to avoid a third straight home defeat to Sunderland for the first time in more than 110 years, overcame an early second half scare when they surrendered a two-goal lead to smash six past goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon.

Gerard Deulofeu got things rolling for Everton in the 19th minute when the first of many huge gaps in a new-look three-man defence sent out by Allardyce was exploited and Arouna Kone added a second just after half an hour.

Even though Jermain Defoe and Steven Fletcher levelled with goals either side of half-time, Sunderland caved in and conceded four further goals, starting when Sebastian Coates found his own net ten minutes after the break.

That was the start of an eight minute spell when Romelu Lukaku was rewarded for bullying Sunderland’s backline on the hour before Kone added a second three minutes later.

The Ivorian striker then completed a deserved hat-trick by heading in the sixth and final goal 13 minutes before the end, bringing back memories to Sunderland fans of the 7-1 hammering under Roy Keane at Goodison in 2007.

Sunderland have conceded 25 goals in just 11 games and sit second bottom of the Premier League, and Allardyce’s attempts to make the defence a tighter unit by trying a few things in the absence of his first choice centre-backs backfired.

It was a complete change of system from what Sunderland’s players had been used to when Allardyce attempted to make up for the absence of John O’Shea and Younes Kaboul by playing three at the back.

Gus Poyet attempted to get Sunderland playing that way, but he was unable to make it work and it was soon apparent that Allardyce had things to work on.

There were plenty of positives going forward, with Everton posed problems defensively because of the lively presence of Defoe, Fletcher and Adam Johnson as an attacking triumvirate. Had left wing-back Patrick van Aanholt’s effort found the net rather than the post inside four minutes then the game may have developed a lot differently.

That wasn’t the only good chance for Sunderland to find the breakthrough either. When van Aanholt rolled a pass to Defoe, the former England striker’s shot was well saved by goalkeeper Tim Howard. Johnson reacted first to the rebound, but his effort hit the post and Fletcher saw another effort denied at the near post by a combination of keeper and defender.

But Sunderland’s good work was undone by one quick incisive pass from Kone in the 19th minute.

The former Wigan man spotted Deulofeu charging down the right wing. Van Aanholt, whose defensive deficiencies proved costly again, had switched off and the left of the three centre-backs, Billy Jones, was nowhere near.

The £4.3m signing from Barcelona, a peripheral figure up to that point, had the composure and quality to round Jones before slotting a finish underneath Pantilimon to put Everton ahead.

Seconds later there was a repeat of the situation, only this time Deulofeu got to the byline and sent in a delivery which had threatened to be turned in by a blue shirt.

But Everton didn’t have to wait too much longer for a second. This time Kone played a clever one-two with Lukaku before making the most of the space he had created by firing an effort high into Pantilimon’s top right corner.

For the remainder of the half, Sunderland’s players chased the ball as Everton passed confidently around them. Lee Cattermole had to hobble off through injury, while Allardyce stood arms folded in his technical area contemplating what he could do.

But when it seemed Sunderland had lost their way, Defoe struck out of the blue to give Sunderland a lifeline with the last kick of the first half.

Coates’ long ball looked harmless enough but Defoe beat John Stones to it before lifting the ball over and away from Ramiro Funes Mori and he dispatched a lovely dipping finish inside Howard’s far corner.

That, temporarily, breathed new life into Sunderland and within five minutes of the restart they were level when van Aanholt’s right-footed cross was nodded into the bottom corner by Fletcher, who had outmuscled Stones and Mori.

Any hopes of a complete turnaround in Sunderland’s favour were shortlived.

Everton found an extra gear to rip the visitors apart with three quickfire strikes, starting when Coates turned Deulofeu’s cross into his own net under the attention of Lukaku in the 55th minute.

Being faced with Lukaku could not have been Wes Brown’s idea of fun on his first start since May and from that moment on he was regularly exposed, probably through fatigue as much as anything else, although he was not the only one struggling.

The outstanding Deulofeu’s defence splitting through pass on the hour was perfect for Lukaku. The Belgian international was clinical in rounding Pantilimon and he found the empty net, leaving Brown and Co in his wake.

Two minutes later Ross Barkley was allowed to drive towards the Sunderland penalty area. He rolled a pass to James McCarthy, whose clever reverse ball into the path of Kone saw the striker apply the deadly finish.

Sunderland had the look of a team defeated from that moment on and the only surprise was that there was only one more, which earned Kone his hat-trick 13 minutes before the end.

This time he worked his way free of Coates in the penalty area to glance Lukaku’s cross inside the top corner with a neat header, leaving Allardyce to contemplate how he can improve things before next Saturday’s visit of Southampton.