Rampant Everton stormed to their best display of the season - just 48 hours after Bill Kenwright's successful takeover of the club.

Five-star Everton gave their fans the sort of Christmas they hardly believed possible after so many months of financial gloom and worry.

And Bill Kenwright, the theatre impressario now finally in control of the team he has supported since boyhood, could not have scripted the day better if he had stage-managed the whole thing.

No doubt the former Coronation Street star will pray that his arrival as owner will be the start of a new era at Goodison Park without the shadow of Peter Johnson's rule over the club.

That may be a touch too romantic, but Everton's fans and their new supremo can still dream after this.

For Sunderland it was a holiday panto, as they saw their hard won reputation as the top flight's success story of the season, ripped apart.

Sunderland slumped to the heaviest defeat under the management of Peter Reid, who will want to forget as soon as possible a terrible experience back at the ground he graced during Everton's great days in the 80s.

Admittedly he was without striker Kevin Phillips, the top flight's leading scorer - out with an ankle injury. That was a bad loss, but it cannot be used as an excuse for what followed.

Everton were driven on by skipper Don Hutchison and Richard Gough, who was outstanding at the back.

Everton won the war, something that rarely happens against a Reid side, and turned in a cracking display.

Reid must have squirmed with embarrassment at Sunderland's display at times, particularly in the first half.

Back at the ground many believe is his spiritual home after those great days in the 80s, Reid saw the side he has driven into the Premiership title race, wilt and fall apart.

Reid's sides always compete for every inch at a ferocious tempo, but they did not this time. And that's what must have hurt Reid most.

Everton may lack a few things - pace being one - but they can mix it, and they blitzed Sunderland with a stunning first half display.

Kenwright arrived in his directors' box seat with the game already under way, so he missed the "Bill, you are our hero" banners that adorned the Gwladys Street end.

Maybe the end of the takeover saga gave Everton's players a boost, because Sunderland were confronted with a highly committed home side. To match any Reid side you have to stand up to them physically, and Everton certainly did that.

Every blade of grass was fought over at a ferocious tempo, and Everton more than coped.

After 11 minutes a Kevin Campbell ball behind the Sunderland defence saw Mark Pembridge haring away, only to be muscled off the ball by Paul Butler as he surged into the box.

Five minutes later Everton were ahead with a finely executed goal. David Unsworth's ball down the left was touched on by Francis Jeffers for Pembridge to turn the ball first time across the box for Hutchison to fire a tremendous low drive into the net.

Niall Quinn, with new boy Kevin Kilbane as his partner instead of Phillips, found his flicks and headers dropping to Everton defenders rather than the lethal Phillips.

The nearest Quinn got early on was a header from a long ball in from Michael Gray, but Paul Gerrard dived to his left to hold the effort.

Jeffers almost made it two after 22 minutes when he rounded Butler, took the ball away from the diving Thomas Sorensen, but found five defenders massing in the six-yard box to block any chance of a shot, the move finally breaking down with a harmless pass across the area that was hacked clear.

Three minutes later, though, Everton did get their second. Unsworth's free-kick was nodded out by Steve Bould, only for Hutchison to blister a low drive first time past Sorensen.

Sunderland were angered with only the award of a free-kick when Gerrard handled the ball just outside his box as he dived to block a through ball. They were still annoyed when both Kilbane and Gavin McCann were booked in quick succession by referee Steve Lodge.

Sunderland were rocked even more after 41 minutes. Jeffers' pace had unsettled them all afternoon, and when he sprinted onto a Richard Gough pass clean through the middle, his sidefooted shot past Sorensen had Everton fans in dreamland.

Reid's half-time chat must still have been ringing in the ears of the Sunderland players because they powered into Everton in the second half.

The pace of their game rose, the tackling was more ferocious and Sunderland went looking for some pride.

But Everton withstood the pressure and when they gathered themselves for another assault, the fourth arrived after 60 minutes.

Hutchison's ball sent Kevin Campbell clear, and his low drive was blocked by Sorensen. Pembridge had been screaming for a cross-box pass as Campbell embarked on his run, and when the ball bounced out the tough little Welshman was still waving frantically for a pass.

This time Jeffers spotted him and threaded a fine ball out to the left where Pembridge was still unmarked and able to sidefoot the ball home.

Jeffers had another ruled out for a marginal offside with the celebrations still in full swing. Nicky Barmby could have had another couple with a fine low drive and a deft chip, both efforts being cleared off the line.

Everton's remarkable display produced a fine fifth after 71 minutes. Hutchison's ball in from the right was collected by Campbell in the box. The big striker who had gone five games without a goal, spun to lose his marker and drove the ball into the bottom corner.

Teams:

Everton: Gerrard, Unsworth, Weir, Gough, Dunne, Barmby (Moore 74), Hutchison, Collins, Pembridge, Campbell, Jeffers (Cleland 74).

Subs Not Used: Watson, Cadamarteri, Simonsen.

Booked: Weir.

Goals: Hutchison 16, 26, Jeffers 41, Pembridge 61, Campbell 72.

Sunderland: Sorensen, Gray (Reddy 45), Bould, Butler, Makin, Schwarz, Roy (Williams 32), McCann, Summerbee, Kilbane, Quinn.

Subs Not Used: Marriott, Rae, Oster.

Booked: Kilbane, McCann.

Att: 40,017

Ref: S Lodge (Barnsley).