Chelsea suffered their first home defeat of the season as they were beaten 2-1 by Sunderland in the Premier League as the Blues collapsed despite taking the lead
Chelsea squandered a one-goal lead, suffering their third Premier League defeat of the season at home to Sunderland. Enzo Maresca made eight changes from the team that demolished Ajax in midweek.
But his players quickly found their rhythm at Stamford Bridge. Just four minutes into the game, Pedro Neto set up Alejandro Garnacho with a superb through ball, and the Argentine didn’t hesitate to fire it past Robin Roefs on his weaker left foot.
However, Sunderland equalised later in the first half when Wilson Isidor netted from close range following a long throw-in that caused chaos for the hosts. Chelsea pressed for a winner in the second half but struggled to create any clear-cut opportunities.
Instead, it was the visitors who clinched the three points with a last-minute goal on 93 minutes. Chemsdine Talbi found the bottom corner, sending the away fans into raptures at Stamford Bridge.
Here are the ratings out of 10 for the Chelsea players based on their performance this afternoon:
Robert Sanchez, 6 – Back in the squad after being rested in midweek. Couldn’t do much about either goal, reports Football London.
Reece James, 5 – One of the eight changes made by Maresca. Handled the physical battles well but would have liked to have made more of an impact offensively.
Josh Acheampong, 6 – He earned his third consecutive start in the Premier League, making a crucial early slide tackle to thwart Isidor. His initial header from a long throw led to a goal, although it seemed to unsettle him, causing him to play everyone onside.
Despite this, he distributed the ball effectively and frequently drove into midfield with possession. He also made several key sliding tackles.
Trevoh Chalobah, 5 – Chalobah had a shaky moment at the beginning of the second half when he dawdled against Enzo Le Fee, resulting in a dangerous free-kick for Sunderland. Aside from that, the defender won several headers.
Marc Cucurella, 5 – Cucurella was back in the squad after being rested on Wednesday. He made an immediate impact with a challenge on Bertrand Traore in the first minute and later thrilled the Stamford Bridge crowd with a superb sliding tackle.
He found himself in promising positions in the final third but struggled to make a significant impact.
Moises Caicedo, 7 – After a stint in midfield against Ajax, Caicedo returned to his usual position this afternoon. He was omnipresent, often capitalising on Sunderland’s slow play to regain possession for Chelsea.
Enzo Fernandez, 6 – Fernandez’s distribution was top-notch. He delivered a splendid pass to Marc Cucurella at the 20-minute mark, which could have resulted in a goal if the left-back had controlled the ball better.
However, he wasn’t able to find those goal-scoring positions he usually occupies, or at least he wasn’t spotted when he did.
Pedro Neto, 6 – Neto stepped in for Estevao Willian. He made an excellent pass to set up Garnacho for the game’s opening goal.
Initially, he seemed to have the upper hand over Reinildo, but the Sunderland wing-back adjusted well and managed to contain Neto. He squandered a promising counter-attack early in the second half with a poor pass to Garnacho and struggled after the break.
Joao Pedro, 4 – Returning to his preferred No. 10 role, it was hoped we might see a resurgence from Joao Pedro.
However, the Brazilian seemed out of sorts this afternoon. His decision-making was questionable at times, and he struggled to make a significant impact on Chelsea’s attack.
Alejandro Garnacho, 7 – This marked his third consecutive Premier League start. He justified his selection with a fine finish in front of the Shed End.
Chelsea recognised his good form and tried to get him involved against Nordi Mukiele. He found himself in some dangerous positions and may be disappointed he couldn’t contribute more to the attack.
Marc Guiu, 4 – Guiu made his first Premier League start for the Blues against the club where he had a 26-day loan spell earlier in the season. Dan Ballard, a former teammate from that month-long stint, physically dominated Guiu at times, leaving the Spaniard with little to show for his efforts.
Estevao Willian (substituted for Garnacho at 58′), 6 – Willian had an immediate opportunity to score, but his shot was well blocked. It seemed as though Chelsea struggled to get the ball to Estevao often enough for him to make a significant impact.
Jamie Gittens (substituted for Guiu at 76′), n/a – Gittens didn’t have enough time on the pitch to make the desired impact.
Tosin Adarabioyo (substituted for Acheampong at 76′), n/a – Adarabioyo’s substitution was somewhat surprising. Perhaps it was to protect Acheampong, who had been involved in several clashes during the second half.
Tyrique George (substituted for Neto at 85′), n/a – George came on too late to make an impact.
Andrey Santos (substituted for Joao Pedro at 85′), n/a – The same applies to Santos.
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