Sunderland boosted their Premier League survival hopes with a 1-0 victory over Chelsea at the Stadium of Light on Sunday, as Enzo Le Fee’s first-half penalty lifted the Black Cats off the bottom of the table.
Chelsea, managed by Xabi Alonso, delivered a disappointing performance against the struggling hosts, failing to create enough clear-cut chances to secure a point despite dominating possession for spells of the encounter.
Sunderland suffered an early setback when captain Granit Xhaka was forced off with an injury just three minutes into the game.
However, the hosts maintained their intensity, with Brian Brobbey causing significant problems for Chelsea’s defence.
Brobbey came close to opening the scoring on several occasions before winning a penalty in the 36th minute.
The Dutch forward used his strength to get past Levi Colwill, who brought him down inside the box.
Le Fee stepped up and converted the spot-kick to give Sunderland the lead.
Chelsea struggled to respond, with Cole Palmer’s first-half penalty appeal rejected following a VAR review.
Morgan Rogers also missed a promising opportunity with a header, while the visitors found it difficult to penetrate Sunderland’s defensive setup.
The Black Cats nearly doubled their advantage in the second half when substitute Wilson Isidor broke through on goal, but Chelsea goalkeeper Mike Penders produced an impressive save.
Chelsea’s attempts to find an equaliser yielded little, as Geovany Quenda fired wide and Danny Welbeck headed over in stoppage time.
The victory moves Sunderland away from the bottom of the Premier League standings, while Chelsea drop out of the top four following another inconsistent display.
