The game kicked off at 14:00 GMT. Sunderland started the matchweek bottom of the Premier League with five points from nine games, had gone seven league games without a win since beating Fulham 1-0 at home on 30 August, and had lost 2-0 at home to Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League three days earlier. Chelsea were fourth with 16 points. João Pedro, Chelsea's joint top league scorer this season with five goals, was not in the squad; in Sky Sports' analysis, Sam Blitz described the injured João Pedro as Chelsea's most important player.
How the match was won
Sunderland lined up in a 4-2-3-1, with Robin Roefs in goal, Thomas Meunier, Nordi Mukiele, Luke O'Nien and Reinildo Mandava at the back, Noah Sadiki and Granit Xhaka in midfield, and Trai Hume, Le Fée and Chemsdine Talbi behind Brobbey. Chelsea played a 4-3-2-1: Mike Penders in goal, Marco Palestra, Wesley Fofana, Colwill and Pep Chavarría in defense, Romeo Lavia, Jordan Henderson and Moisés Caicedo in midfield, and Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers behind Pedro Neto.
Xhaka, Sunderland's captain, went down off the ball and limped off after three minutes, Sky Sports reported, and Jules Ahoka came on in the fourth minute. Sunderland had four attempts before the penalty to Chelsea's one: Brobbey shot just wide from very close range from a Talbi cross in the 15th minute and went close again from a difficult angle in the 28th, while Chelsea's only attempt was a Rogers header that went wide in the 25th.
- 36' Sunderland 1-0 Chelsea: Enzo Le Fée, a right-footed penalty into the bottom left corner. Colwill conceded the penalty by fouling Brobbey in the area and was booked in the 35th minute.
It was Le Fée's third league goal of the season, all three from the penalty spot: the others came in a 1-1 draw at Brentford and a 3-1 defeat at Coventry City. Le Fée and Brobbey now have three league goals each, more than any other Sunderland player. Chelsea's first shot on target came in the 45th minute, a shot from outside the box by Neto that Roefs saved.
Turning points
Chelsea had a penalty claim in the 24th minute, when Palmer went down at the edge of the area under a double challenge from O'Nien and Ahoka. VAR could not intervene because the contact was judged to be outside the box, Sky Sports reported. After the game Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso had still not seen the incident but had been told there was a chance it could have been a penalty.
Alonso replaced Colwill with Estêvão at half-time and moved Caicedo into central defense alongside Fofana, Football365 reported. In the 61st minute Meunier made a goal-saving tackle on Estêvão, according to Sky Sports. Danny Welbeck and Malo Gusto came on for Neto and Palestra in the 62nd minute, and Welbeck and Fofana both headed wide from set pieces in the next four minutes.
Roefs made four saves in all: from Neto, from a Rogers shot from more than 40 yards in first-half stoppage time, from Gusto in the 74th minute and from a Palmer header in the 85th. Penders made one, in the 77th minute, from Wilson Isidor, who had replaced Brobbey in the 67th. Welbeck headed over from an Estêvão set piece in stoppage time.
He showed this afternoon that he can fight until the end.
Régis Le Bris, Sunderland head coach, on Brian Brobbey, via Sky Sports
Sunderland were shown five yellow cards, to Ahoka, Meunier, Brobbey, O'Nien and Nilson Angulo, and committed 17 fouls to Chelsea's eight; Chelsea's four bookings went to Colwill, Neto, Caicedo and Fofana. Chelsea's last changes were Geovany Quenda for Chavarría in the 79th minute and Emmanuel Emegha for Henderson in the 87th, and Sunderland head coach Régis Le Bris sent on Angulo for Talbi and Chris Rigg for Le Fée in the 88th.
The first goal is always important and today being behind, we didn't produce enough.
Xabi Alonso, Chelsea manager, via Sky Sports
Sunderland vs Chelsea: key stats
| Stat | Sunderland | Chelsea |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 31.3% | 68.7% |
| Shots | 9 | 10 |
| Shots on target | 2 | 4 |
| Corners | 2 | 2 |
| Fouls | 17 | 8 |
| Yellow cards | 5 | 4 |
| Red cards | 0 | 0 |
| Offsides | 2 | 0 |
| Goalkeeper saves | 4 | 1 |
| Passes (completed) | 292 (203) | 648 (578) |
Chelsea had 68.7% of the ball and completed 578 of their 648 passes, 89%, against Sunderland's 203 of 292, 70%. beIN Sports noted that it was Chelsea's highest passing total in a Premier League match this season, and put their expected goals at 0.53. Chelsea sent in 23 crosses to Sunderland's nine.
What it means for the table
Sunderland move up from 20th to 19th, on eight points from 10 games: two wins, two draws and six defeats, eight goals scored and 17 conceded. Both of their league wins this season have come 1-0 at the Stadium of Light, and this was their third league clean sheet. They are level on points with 18th-placed Manchester United, who drew 4-4 with Aston Villa, but behind on goal difference, and one point behind Coventry City in 17th, the last place above the relegation zone. Crystal Palace drop to the bottom with seven points after their 3-1 home defeat by Liverpool.
Since 1995-96, the team in 18th has finished with 34.7 points on average, and 40 points has been enough to stay up in 28 of 31 seasons; Sunderland, relegated with 40 in 1996-97, were one of the three exceptions, as our look at how many points it takes to avoid relegation in the Premier League shows.
Chelsea drop from fourth to fifth, on 16 points from 10 games: five wins, one draw and four defeats, 19 goals scored and 16 conceded. It was the third time this season they have failed to score in the league, after a 3-0 defeat at Brentford and a 2-0 home defeat by Tottenham Hotspur. Liverpool, 3-1 winners at Selhurst Park, move above them into fourth with 18 points, two more than Chelsea, and Everton are sixth, level with Chelsea on 16 points but behind on goal difference. Arsenal top the Premier League table with 27 points, 11 more than Chelsea.
What's next: Sunderland at Aston Villa, Chelsea host Leeds
- Sunderland: away at Aston Villa, Saturday 21 November 2026, 15:00 GMT.
- Chelsea: at home to Leeds United, Saturday 21 November 2026, 15:00 GMT.
Both games are on our Premier League fixtures page, and the Premier League simulator lets you play out the rest of the season with your own scores.
How this report was built: the score, penalty, cards, substitutions, lineups, team stats, chances, saves and earlier results come from ESPN's match data. Both tables are computed from ESPN full-time results, three points for a win, and the matchweek 10 table includes all ten games. Context and quotes come from Sky Sports, Football365 and beIN Sports.