Sunderland Beat Chelsea 1-0 as Le Fee Penalty Ends Winless Run and Lifts Black Cats Off the Bottom
Sunderland beat Chelsea 1-0 at the Stadium of Light on Sunday, November 8, to end a long wait for a Premier League win. Enzo Le Fee scored the only goal from the penalty spot in the 36th minute. It was Sunderland's first league victory since August, and it lifted them off the bottom of the table. Chelsea dropped to fifth.
The win came in Sunderland's first league win in eight games. It also eased the pressure on head coach Regis Le Bris, whose side had lost their midweek Europa League match to Dinamo Zagreb. The Black Cats started with a lot of energy, and Brian Brobbey troubled the Chelsea defence from the start.
Chelsea had more of the ball early on, but their best chance went begging. Morgan Rogers was unmarked inside the box and headed wide. Cole Palmer appealed for a penalty, but VAR ruled that the first contact had come outside the area, and no penalty was given.
Eleven minutes later, Sunderland got a penalty of their own, and it was a controversial one. Brobbey drove towards goal and went down after a tussle with Levi Colwill. Referee Jarred Gillett ruled that Colwill had pulled him down, even though both players were grappling. Le Fee sent goalkeeper Mike Penders the wrong way from the spot. It was his third penalty of the season.
Chelsea were poor in the final third. Their first shot on target did not arrive until the 45th minute, and it was a routine save for Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs. They had most of the possession in the second half, but they could not make it count. Substitute Danny Welbeck's miss in the 65th minute was Chelsea's first attempt at goal after the break.
Sunderland came close to a second goal. Penders rushed out quickly to deny Wilson Isidor in a one-on-one. Geovany Quenda drilled narrowly wide for Chelsea, and Welbeck headed over in stoppage time as the visitors pushed for an equaliser.
It was Chelsea's fourth defeat in 10 league games under Xabi Alonso. They dropped out of the top four, and Liverpool moved ahead of them into fourth place.
For Sunderland, it was a badly needed result. They moved off the foot of the table, and Crystal Palace went bottom of the Premier League after losing 3-1 to Liverpool on the same day.