Chelsea looked on course for a win at home, but a late twist sealed a 2–1 defeat to newly-promoted Sunderland at Stamford Bridge yesterday in a result that will cause plenty of soul-searching at the club.
The Blues struck early when summer signing Alejandro Garnacho opened his account for the club in the 4th minute, cutting in from the left and finishing expertly. However, Chelsea’s lead didn’t last long: just 22 minutes in, Wilson Isidor found the equaliser after a long throw-in created chaos in the box.
From that point the match looked set to finish level Chelsea enjoyed possession and territory, but lacked the killer touch. Then, in third minute of added time, substitution Chemsdine Talbi calmly curled a brilliant winner into the net to complete a moment of high drama and deliver the upset for Sunderland.
After the match, manager Enzo Maresca admitted:
“We were not good enough today … if you want to be there (challenging) you need consistency.”
This result leaves Chelsea in 7th place with the gap to the top widening, while Sunderland surge up the table into the top-four gaze.
Key issues for Chelsea: poor defensive concentration in stoppage time, vulnerability to long throws/counter-attacks, and difficulty converting dominance into decisive moments. In contrast, Sunderland showed organisation, resilience and belief qualities that will serve them well as the season progresses.
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