JERMAIN DEFOE has insisted that Sunderland’s confidence has not been knocked by their 6-2 defeat at Everton on Sunday.

The loss at Goodison Park has left the Black Cats at the foot of the Premier League, having conceded 25 goals this season, but Defoe believes the reaction on the training ground at the Academy of Light this week has been a positive one.

Sunderland went 2-0 down after half an hour at Everton, but goals from Defoe and Steven Fletcher either side of half-time gave the visitors a fighting chance of a point – but slack defending and sharp-shooting from Everton saw the Toffees score four more goals to ease to victory.

Manager Sam Allardyce has talked through the game with his squad and Defoe believes Sunderland can move on from that defeat and start to put points on the board, starting with Saturday’s home fixture against Southampton.

“I don’t think Everton’s knocked our confidence, it’s just frustration because the game could have been so different,” said the former England international.

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“At 2-2 you just give yourself an opportunity to get a point or win it, especially from set-pieces. We practise set-pieces now during the week and the day before the game.

“The preparation’s spot on, so we do everything that we need to do at the weekend.

“If you’re in the game, then you never know. Try and win with a set-piece, last minute of the game.

“It’s just frustrating the way we gave it to them at the end.

“But we’ll learn from that, definitely, because we watched the video, and we’ll learn. I think that’ll make us better.”

Sunderland lined up in a 3-5-2 formation at Goodison Park on Sunday, designed to not only get the best out of the returning Wes Brown at the heart of the defence, but to accommodate Fletcher and Defoe, who have put together a decent striking partnership in recent weeks.

While that worked in attack – both scored – it was not so successful at the back, with the back three of Brown, Sebastian Coates and Billy Jones being left exposed as Sunderland’s wing-backs of Patrick van Aanholt and DeAndre Yedlin marauded forward.

It remains to be seen whether Allardyce will persist with that formation against Saints, but Defoe is relishing playing alongside Fletcher.

“I’m enjoying my time playing up front with Fletch. It’s good,” Defoe said.

“Some teams play three forwards. One, then two (wider), how Dick (Advocaat) used to play.

“Sometimes even if we’re playing with a two, one forward’s got to drop in when you haven’t got the ball, or if they’ve got a holding midfielder.

“So I don’t think it really matters about formations, to be honest.

“I suppose the manager just wants to get the players on the pitch who are fit and doing well.

Hopefully, by doing that we can win football matches. That’s what it’s all about, just getting three points on Saturday. We’re trying to do that.

“But yeah, in the last two games, me and Fletcher up front, it feels like I’ve played with him a long time.

“Fletcher’s on fire at the minute, strong, holds the ball well and we play off each other.”

Defoe found himself on the fringes in the last days under Advocaat, but revealed that Allardyce has made the former Tottenham and West Ham striker a part of his plans – as long as he’s scoring goals.

“I don’t think it’s a headache for the manager,” said Defoe. “I’d imagine he’s happy because at the end of the day that’s what he wants, he wants the forwards to score goals.

“I sat down with him and he said ‘We just want to get you in the team, scoring goals’. It’s as simple as that, and to be honest I don’t think it really matters what formation you play.

“You’ve still got to keep the ball, work hard, create chances.

“The weekend was good, we both scored. It’s just frustrating the way we gave the game to Everton.

“But if you look at it now, I think we should have been more cautious. You know, OK, it’s 2-2. You’ve got me, Fletch and Jonno in a No 10 position behind the forwards.

“There are positives we can take out of the game but at the same time were disappointed in the way that we committed so many men forward, and just gave the game to them.”