It began so well for Chelsea. They led through Alejandro Garnacho’s first goal for the club and looked set to rise to two points behind Arsenal at the top of the table. They did not reckon with Sunderland’s defiance.
Sunderland have been a wonderful addition to the Premier League this season. This was their best result since coming up. They levelled through Wilson Isidor and celebrated a famous win when the substitute, Chemsdine Talbi, scored the winner in added time.
There were a few boos at full time. There have been not many occasions when Chelsea have suffered without the injured Cole Palmer this season. Yet while they have managed to cope without their most influential attacker in recent weeks, the youngest side in the Premier League certainly could have done with Palmer’s ingenuity when it came to producing a moment of magic to unlock Sunderland’s outstanding defence.
Easily the most impressive of the promoted sides, Sunderland were competitive from the start. They were full of energy, organised at the back and aided by the flexibility of their 5-4-1 system, which allowed the visitors to put numbers behind the ball and then flood midfield through the willingness of their centre-backs to step forward when possession was regained.
