Chelsea 1-2 Sunderland: Alejandro Garnacho led Chelsea to a promising afternoon, but Wilson Isidore and Kemsuddin Talbi earned Sunderland the three points away.
Sunderland secured their last win against Chelsea with Kemzuddin Talbi scoring his first goal for the club. The Blues were unable to consolidate their challenge for the Premier League title as Sunderland moved into second place with a 93rd-minute winner.
Chelsea wasted little time taking the lead after Pedro Neto’s deft pass found Alejandro Garnacho. In the fourth minute, the Argentina international burst through the left side of the box and fired a low shot past Robin Rufus.
However, Sunderland were undeterred and continued their attack, encouraged by the loud cheers from the away team. Wilson Isidore scored in the 22nd minute after Chelsea failed to clear Nordi Mukiele’s long throw into the box, and the French forward slotted the ball into the goal.
In the second period of the Open, both teams recorded chances but could not find the back of the net. Chelsea could not find the necessary decisions and their opponents did not want to settle for a draw.
The game was on a knife edge, with neither team able to break even until stoppage time. Brian Brobbey kept the ball and Talbi slotted home, ruining Chelsea’s day. “Mirror Football” will highlight the highlights of this match.
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1. Giu’s mixed bag
Giu, who just scored in the Champions League, made his first Premier League start for the Blues this season. As the Spaniard looked around Stamford Bridge before the match, he hugged the Sunderland stars who were his team-mates just a few weeks ago.
It was a rollercoaster period for Giu, who joined the Black Cats and then quickly returned to Chelsea amid an injury crisis. However, he was not expected to start until the final seven days, with coach Enzo Maresca highlighting the teenager’s lack of practice as the reason.
Ahead of this weekend, the Italian appeared to suggest that Giu could help bring out the best in Joao Pedro.
Maresca said: “Marc is a typical number nine and you can see he’s physically strong. He’s a box player. After all, he was born in 2006 and can improve and do a lot of things better. We’re working together every day to help him and, as I’ve said many times, he’s going to be in the game with us.” “With Joao (Pedro), we know he can play as a number nine or he can play as a number 10. I think Joao is very good in both positions, but he probably plays better with another number 9 next to him.”
With Liam Delap set to return from injury, could the Blues manager simply be gearing up for the former Ipswich star to replace Giu? The forward did little to convince himself to become a regular starter for the Blues, and the combination of Pedro and Giu looked rather unfriendly.
A return to Sunderland is the youngster’s only possibility other than staying at the club. But with players like Wilson Isidore and Bertrand Traore playing time at the Stadium of Light is not guaranteed. Giu finds himself in a difficult situation.
2. Garnacho finally came home
After being sent off at half-time against Nottingham Forest, Garnacho could have had a great life had he been able to get off to a quick start against Sunderland. The Argentine’s goal showed all his best qualities and reminded him of his talent, despite his controversial sending off at Old Trafford.
Garnacho’s celebrations were reminiscent of his time with the Red Devils, but he descended onto the Stamford Bridge lawn, fully decked out in a Chelsea shirt. The 21-year-old has found his place so far and could have a positive season if he can win against strong competition.
Along with players like Pedro Neto, Estebao Willian and Jamie Gittens, he will need to continue to deliver. Garnacho may have the most reliable track record.
The forward only played for an hour, but he is probably still developing the ability to sustain his effort after being away from first-team training in pre-season.
3. Endless options with Maresca
After crushing Ajax in midweek, Maresca made eight changes to his squad and still managed to produce a more than respectable eleven. Whether they can produce results after doing so will go a long way in discovering how they can cope with weekly elite competitions.
However, Chelsea achieved their best result in the Premier League against Sunderland thanks to Alejandro Garnacho’s goal, as the club found their 10th goalscorer in the division this season. There’s no disputing the amount of offensive talent they have.
Is it enough? A loss at home to a recently promoted team would show that this is not the case. At the very least, being able to take Estevao off the bench isn’t a bad option.
4. Long throws are here to stay
They have been the talk of the town and Sunderland have shown why they are back in fashion. At the start of the game, the Black Cats had taken more throw-ins into the box than any other Premier League team apart from Brentford.
“We know that at the moment most teams in the Premier League – and of course in other leagues – use long throws, so we are trying to find solutions and learn how we can deal with it,” Maresca said while previewing the match. “It’s difficult. It’s complicated because most of the long throws go inside the six-yard box. We reviewed not only this week, but the goals that Brentford scored against us, because not only do we play against Sunderland, but we also play against other teams that use long throws that we played after Brentford.”
It didn’t help. The west London side were unable to defend Sunderland’s long throws and Bertrand Traore’s shot found Isidore before he could score. While Sunderland were prepared for each challenge, Chelsea have not had the opportunity and each team will be looking to take advantage of it.
“A really good goal from Sunderland,” Troy Deeney said of the final score. “I’m worried that I won’t be able to defend my long throws. This is the basics I learned since I was 3 or 4 years old.”
5. Sunderland show credentials
It’s too early to look at the Premier League table, but Sunderland entered the game with a point from Chelsea and a chance of finishing second. They didn’t seem too awed. This was not the case when they were behind after just four minutes.
Regis Le Bris’ team showed discipline and goal-scoring threat when they had the ball. They were willing to take on Chelsea’s wider threats.
With Granit Xhaka’s experience, Isidore’s scoring ability and Le Bris’ coaching ability, they look poised to go beyond a viable season. A draw never seemed to be enough for Sunderland and three points were always on the table.
Their main challenge remains getting the points they need, but they looked like a Premier League team on Saturday.
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