Chelsea put in a tepid performance as Sunderland lifted themselves off the bottom of the Premier League table with a 1-0 win that eases the pressure on under-fire manager Regis Le Bris.
Xabi Alonso’s side were second-best throughout. None of their midfield attack won a duel or a tackle in the opening 20 minutes, while Sunderland’s fight was best shown through Brian Brobbey’s efforts up front.
The Dutch international smashed his way through Chelsea centre-backs Wesley Fofana and Levi Colwill in a brutal first half – coming close to scoring twice, before eventually getting his rewards.
Ten minutes before half-time, he rolled past Colwill with immense strength to win a penalty, which Enzo Le Fee converted. Colwill was then taken off at half-time.
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Enzo Le Fee puts Sunderland 1-0 up against Chelsea after Levi Colwill conceded a penalty after bringing down Brian Brobbey in the box.
If Chelsea were weak in defence, they weren’t much better in attack. They struggled to break down a Sunderland defence that has been leaking goals of late. Morgan Rogers went closest in the first half with an off-target header, while their only chance of note in the second half was Danny Welbeck’s injury-time miss.
Chelsea had a penalty shout in the first half when the mostly-ineffective Cole Palmer burst through and went down under two Sunderland challenges right on the edge of the penalty area – but VAR were unable to intervene as the incident was deemed to be outside the box.
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Jamie Carragher described Luke O’Nien’s tackle on Cole Palmer as a ‘terrible challenge’ and couldn’t understand why the referee doesn’t give a foul.
Sunderland were still the better team throughout – despite losing captain Granit Xhaka after three minutes due to injury – and looked more likely to get a second goal than Chelsea were to getting an equaliser. Substitute Wilson Isidor nearly made it 2-0 when he was one-on-one but Mike Penders denied him in style.
The result moves Sunderland off the bottom of the table, while Chelsea have lost their place in the top four as their inconsistency continues.
The key moments from the Stadium of Light
3: INJURY! Sunderland are dealt an early blow as Xhaka limps off after going down off the ball.
14: BIG MISS! Chesmine Talbi starts the game strongly, curling in a cross which Brobbey fails to convert.
24: NO PENALTY! Palmer goes down under a double challenge from Luke O’Nien and substitute Jules Ahoka right on the line of the penalty area. But VAR says no foul when checking it.
Cole Palmer was not given a penalty after he went down near the box
25: BIG MISS! Rogers heads Marco Palestra’s cross off target after leaping well in the penalty area.
28: CHANCE! Brobbey takes on last defender Fofana but his touch takes him wide and he shoots off target.
36: GOAL! Brobbey’s hard work eventually comes off as he grapples with Colwill to win a penalty, which Le Fee converts.
61: BIG TACKLE! Estevao comes on at half-time and Rogers tries to poke the ball through to him but Thomas Meunier comes up with a goal-saving tackle.
77: BIG SAVE! A loose ball breaks to Isidor but his powerful effort when through on goal is saved by Penders.
Mike Penders denied Wilson Isidor with a stunning save
81: WIDE! Chelsea’s first chance of note in the second half sees Geovany Quenda fire wide of the far post.
90+2: OVER! Welbeck heads over Estevao’s free-kick from inside the box.
Were Chelsea ‘bullied’? Alonso reacts…
Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso to Sky Sports:
“Not bullied. I would say these were situations where we could have defended better. Situations that we could have got better advantages in attack.
“But the game was really even, really competitive, they were waiting for the chance and they got it. After they got the lead, they tried but they were not producing much.
“The first goal is always important and today being behind, we didn’t produce enough.”
On Palmer’s penalty shout: “I haven’t seen Cole’s one but I’ve been told there’s a chance it could have been a penalty and it could have been given.”
On the Sunderland penalty: “I’m not happy with how we have defended that situation. It’s something we could avoid and something we have worked on during the week. To give a penalty from that action, it’s not good from us.”
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Jamie Carragher uses Daniel Sturridge to explain how Brian Brobbey won a penalty after Levi Colwill got ‘too tight’ to the Sunderland striker and allowed him to get in front.
Analysis: No Xabi, Chelsea WERE bullied…
Sky Sports’ Sam Blitz:
Just when you think Chelsea are about to change and show some form, they go right back to square one.
They went into the last international break on the back of a damning 3-0 defeat to Brentford, where without star man Joao Pedro, they were bullied, outfought and deservedly beaten by the Bees.
Sunderland, who started the day bottom of the table, are now another team in red and white who have overpowered them to three points – right in time for the next international break.
Chelsea have gone back to square one after their loss at Sunderland
In the first half, Chelsea lost 63 per cent of the duels as Brian Brobbey wreaked havoc on the Blues backline. This time it was Levi Colwill who was showing defensive frailties as he was hooked off at half-time, with Wesley Fofana the culprit of some unpunished blunders against Manchester United last week.
Ultimately, this match showed that Chelsea don’t have enough defensive solidity and the injured Pedro is their most important player. But we’ve known that for weeks. More concerningly, Xabi Alonso insists his Chelsea team were “not bullied” despite the eye test and the data backing it up.
The first part of solving these problems is recognising they exist in the first half. Until that changes, Chelsea will always end up going the same places.
They are now outside the top four, and with Everton and Bournemouth picking up form behind them, they are drifting towards the middle of the table again.
Le Bris: The connection with fans was perfect
Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris to Sky Sports:
“It’s not an easy task because the schedule is so tough, every three days you have to reset and go again with different starting elevens. But today, the connection was perfect.
“Sunderland is unique for that point. When I first came in, I was really surprised how connected our fanbase is connected with our identity of the club and the game model. The more we play this style of play, the more the supporters settle which helps the energy to grow in the stadium. It supports the players.
“We have to play on the edge. Football is like that, you’re walking on a tightrope and can have problems sometimes.
“The depth of the squad is important. The Europa League and Carabao Cup helped, we played with many young players. The performance wasn’t always great but we’re talking about experiences. The combined experiences, you have to play different game. Jules [Ahoka] was impressive this afternoon.
“We need good players on the pitch. Brian is one of them. The strikers are rare, we have one really good striker. He trusts the club, the identity of the region. He showed this afternoon that he can fight until the end.”
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