Sunderland 1-0 Chelsea. Read it again, because the Stadium of Light just handed the Premier League its most unlikely result of the weekend. Enzo Le Fee’s first-half penalty was enough to beat a Chelsea side that had the ball but never found a way through. The Black Cats climbed off the bottom with only their second league win of the season, and Chelsea slipped to fifth.
Brobbey Bullies Chelsea’s Defence
Brian Brobbey was the man of the afternoon. He gave Levi Colwill and Wesley Fofana a torrid time, and he should have scored before the penalty. Then, with 33 minutes gone, he held off Colwill in the box and went down under the challenge.
Penalty. Le Fee stayed cool and sent Mike Penders the wrong way in the 36th minute, and the home end went wild. Colwill, already booked, did not come out for the second half.
The Palmer Penalty Shout
Chelsea had a big complaint of their own. In the 24th minute, Cole Palmer burst through and went down under a double challenge right on the edge of the area. VAR ruled the contact was outside the box, so the penalty was not given. Alonso said afterwards he had been told there was a chance it could have been a penalty.
Chelsea Have the Ball, Sunderland Have the Win
Chelsea finished with around 69 percent possession but just four shots on target. Robin Roefs, Flashscore’s man of the match, saved from Malo Gusto and a Palmer header. Danny Welbeck headed an Estevao free-kick over in stoppage time, and that was about as close as Chelsea got.
At the other end, substitute Wilson Isidor was clean through in the 77th minute, but Penders made a superb save to keep it at 1-0. Sunderland had also lost captain Granit Xhaka to injury in the opening minutes, and they still saw it out. With Colwill off, Alonso moved Moises Caicedo to a makeshift centre-back role.
Alonso: “Not Bullied”
Alonso rejected the idea that his team had been pushed around, saying Chelsea were “not bullied” and that the game was really even. He did admit the penalty was avoidable, saying Chelsea had worked on that very situation in training.
For Regis Le Bris, the win was a huge relief after a slow start. He said the “connection was perfect” between his side and the home crowd.
What the Result Means
Sunderland go into the international break 19th on eight points, one place above Crystal Palace. Chelsea are fifth, two points behind Liverpool, and their poor away form continues, with just two wins from 11 competitive away games. Sunderland travel to Aston Villa on Saturday 21 November.
Final Word
Chelsea controlled the ball and lost the game. Sunderland controlled the moments and won it. That is football, and that is why we love it. Stay with us for more Premier League reaction.
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