Sunderland 1-0 Chelsea: Le Fee 36 pen
A much-needed lift for Sunderland after a difficult spell, but Chelsea will rue their lack of sharpness up front as they lost for the second time in the last three games and slipped out of the top four.
Sunderland coach Regis Le Bris had little room for error here at the Stadium of Light, after Thursday’s Europa League defeat to Dinamo Zagreb. The Black Cats had gone seven league matches without a win and needed a response before they fall deeper into relegation trouble.
Le Bris made eight changes from the defeat to Dinamo, but Sunderland suffered an early setback when captain Granit Xhaka went off injured. Jules Ahoka replaced him, and the hosts continued to attack with purpose.
Chemsdine Talbi was particularly lively in the opening stages. The winger created an opportunity for Trai Hume, whose effort was blocked, before sending another dangerous ball into the area. Brian Brobbey could not make the most of it, however, as his volley went wide.
Chelsea struggled to settle, and Sunderland continued to threaten through Brobbey. The striker nearly got through on goal after beating Wesley Fofana, but his effort went over the crossbar.
The visitors also had their chances. Cole Palmer went down after a challenge from Luke O’Nien, but a VAR review ruled that the contact had taken place outside the penalty area. Morgan Rogers later headed wide from a Marco Palestra cross.
Sunderland finally found the breakthrough in the 36th minute. Levi Colwill brought down Brobbey inside the box, and referee Jarred Gillett pointed to the spot. Enzo Le Fee took responsibility and sent Mike Penders the wrong way to put the hosts ahead.
Chelsea tried to respond before half-time, but Romeo Lavia fired wide from distance and Pedro Neto’s effort was comfortably gathered by Robin Roefs.
Alonso made a change at the break, bringing on Estevao for Colwill in an attempt to improve Chelsea’s attacking threat. The visitors enjoyed more possession after the restart, but Sunderland remained difficult to break down.
Hume created an early opening for Luke O’Nien, whose effort was saved by Penders. Estevao then tried to make an impact, but Thomas Meunier intervened to stop the Brazilian from advancing.
Chelsea struggled to create clear chances. Sunderland, meanwhile, nearly doubled their lead when Le Fee played Wilson Isidor through on goal. Penders saved the initial effort, and the rebound fell kindly for Chelsea as the defence cleared the danger.
Geovany Quenda came on for the visitors and produced a promising effort that went narrowly wide. Sunderland continued to threaten on the counter, with Talbi firing just off target late in the game. Chelsea’s final attempts failed to trouble Roefs significantly, and a header from Palmer was easily collected by the Sunderland goalkeeper as time ran out.
