Sunderland Stun Chelsea with Dramatic Late Winner at Stamford Bridge

Sunderland left Chelsea stunned with a dramatic late winner to defeat the Club World Cup champions 2–1 at Stamford Bridge.

The Black Cats made two changes to the side that beat Wolves 2–0 in their previous outing, with Lutsharel Geertruida and Reinildo replacing the injured Omar Alderete and Chris Rigg, shifting them into a back five. Chelsea also rotated following their 3–0 win over Nottingham Forest last week, as Moisés Caicedo, Enzo Fernández, and Marc Guiu came in for Romeo Lavia, Andrey Santos, and the suspended Malo Gusto.

The game began perfectly for Enzo Maresca’s side, with Alejandro Garnacho opening the scoring after just four minutes with an excellent finish. Despite dominating possession, however, Chelsea struggled to find rhythm or sustained control. Their lack of intensity was punished in the 22nd minute when a long throw-in caused chaos in the box, allowing Wilson Isidor to tap home from six yards out his fourth league goal of the season. From there, the first half became scrappy, with neither team able to establish clear dominance.

Chelsea continued to control the ball after the break and registered 16 shots over the 90 minutes, but Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs remained largely untroubled. The statistics told the story: despite their volume of attempts, Chelsea recorded an expected goals (xG) of just 0.97, while Sunderland, with six fewer shots, posted an xG of 1.16.

As Chelsea pushed forward in search of a late winner, Sunderland capitalised on the counter in stoppage time. In the 92nd minute, substitutes Brian Brobbey and Chamsedine Talbi combined brilliantly to steal the points. A long ball through the centre found Brobbey, who held off Tosin Adarabioyo before laying the ball off to Talbi on the edge of the area. The young Moroccan finished calmly past Sánchez to seal a famous 2–1 victory for the visitors.

Enzo Maresca will be livid with his team’s inconsistency this season. This was a fixture many expected Chelsea to win, especially given their recent form and strong record against newly-promoted sides. The young squad’s inability to maintain focus and convert dominance into results remains a key issue if they are to mount a top-four challenge or compete for trophies.

In contrast, Régis Le Bris will be delighted with his side’s discipline and composure. Sunderland executed their game plan superbly, putting on a tactical clinic in how to frustrate and punish bigger sides. Despite having just 31% possession, the Black Cats rarely looked uncomfortable and appeared in control of key moments throughout.

The result lifts Sunderland up to second in the Premier League table with 17 points from nine matches, continuing their remarkable start to life back in the top flight. Chelsea, meanwhile, see their four-match winning streak come to an end and are left wondering how they managed to lose despite having 69% possession and 16 shots on goal.