Chelsea suffered a frustrating 2-1 home defeat to newly promoted Sunderland on Saturday afternoon, despite making a bright start at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues opened the scoring early through new signing Alejandro Garnacho, who bagged his first goal for the club with a composed finish after a driving run down the left flank.
His strike gave the hosts the ideal start, but their lead lasted only 15 minutes.
Sunderland drew level when a trademark long throw from Nordi Mukiele caused chaos in the Chelsea box.
Bertrand Traoré’s effort was blocked, but Wilson Isidor was on hand to stab home the rebound and silence the home crowd.
Former Chelsea man Traoré continued to trouble his old club, forcing a smart stop from Robert Sánchez as Sunderland grew in confidence.
The hosts had their own chances, with Garnacho going close after linking up with Enzo Fernández, and Trevoh Chalobah seeing a long-range effort tipped over by visiting goalkeeper Robin Roefs, who produced a string of excellent saves in the first half.
After the break, Chelsea’s attacking indecision proved costly. A swift counterattack involving Pedro Neto and Garnacho ended wastefully, while substitute Estevão almost made an instant impact when he met Marc Cucurella’s low cross, only for his shot to be deflected narrowly wide.
Enzo Fernández tried to spark the hosts back into life with several attempts from range, but Roefs stood firm in goal for the visitors.
At the back, young defender Josh Acheampong impressed with several crucial interventions, notably blocking a goal-bound effort from Isidor.
Just when it looked like the game would end level, Sunderland snatched victory in stoppage time. Second-half substitutes Chemsdine Talbi and Brian Brobbey combined superbly, with Brobbey firing home the winner to complete a dramatic late turnaround.
The result leaves Chelsea ruing missed chances, while Sunderland celebrated a memorable win on their return to the Premier League stage.
