Chelsea stumble against the Premier League’s bottom side
Bottom-placed Sunderland stun Chelsea with an Enzo Le Fée penalty, as Xabi Alonso’s side slip out of the top four after a dismal display and a contested no-call on Palmer.
Chelsea’s push towards the top hit a setback with a 1-0 defeat at Sunderland in the 10th round. The hosts went into the game bottom of the table, but an Enzo Le Fée penalty in the 36th minute was enough to beat the Londoners. It was Chelsea’s fourth loss of the season, and Liverpool took advantage to push them out of fourth place. For the Black Cats, it was only their second win so far.
Chelsea produced one of their worst performances of the campaign and barely troubled the opposition goal. Their biggest complaint came in the 24th minute at 0-0, when Cole Palmer was brought down by two players on the edge of the box. Referee Jarred Gillett waved play on, and VAR backed his decision without sending him to the monitor.
Sunderland, who lost captain Granit Xhaka to injury early on, created the better chances. Brian Brobbey wasted two good opportunities before winning the penalty, fouled by Levi Colwill, which Le Fée converted. Chelsea’s first shot on target came only in the 45th minute, through Pedro Neto.
At half-time, Alonso brought on Estêvão for Colwill and moved Moisés Caicedo to centre-back, but Chelsea still lacked creativity and cutting edge. Sunderland could have doubled their lead in the 77th minute, when Wilson Isidor went through one-on-one but was denied by Mike Penders.
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