Sunderland 3-2 ChelseaHome team scorersWahbi Khazri 41
Fabio Borini 67
Jermain Defoe 70
Away team scorersDiego Costa 14
Nemanja Matic 45 +2:56
Jermain Defoe ended Sunderland’s 16-year wait for a home victory over Chelsea at the best possible moment, his 70th-minute winning goal breathing life into his team’s bid for Premier League survival.
The decisive passage of the match, and possibly Sunderland’s survival bid, came inside three minutes halfway through the second half. After 67 minutes, Fabio Borini was found by Patrick van Aanholt’s neat pass and scored from just inside the area with a shot that the unsighted Thibaut Courtois could only help into his own net.
Then Defoe, who had only previously scored three home goals this season, was on hand 12 yards out to meet a DeAndre Yedlin cross, touched into his path by John Obi Mikel, before again scoring via a touch from the Chelsea keeper.
Chelsea’s misery was completed deep in added time when John Terry was dismissed for a foul on Wahbi Khazri, his second bookable offence.
It was an unlikely comeback after the home side had seemed to throw away hopes of a win during the closing five minutes of the first half which started with Khazri netting a stunning equaliser for the home side.
But deep into stoppage time, Allardyce’s defence showed the same nervousness about which he had complained in last weekend’s draw at Stoke, failing to deal either with Cesc Fàbregas’s upfield punt or the header from César Azpilicueta that played in Nemanja Matic. The midfielder did the rest with a finish beneath Vito Mannone’s body that was befitting somebody who has scored far more than the three league goals Matic now has to his name since joining Chelsea.
Khazri’s equaliser had comfortably been the best goal of an entertaining contest as he latched onto a headed clearance from Yann M’Vila’s deep free-kick and beat Courtois with a stunning right-foot volley from the edge of the Chelsea area.
That goal had been sorely needed, cancelling out, as it did, Diego Costa’s 16th goal of the season after 14 minutes. It again featured a clinical finish and, again, some uncertain home defending as Eden Hazard started a move which was continued by Gary Cahill, via a deflection off defender Yedlin, for Costa to complete the move expertly from a tight angle.
Sunderland’s pre-match optimism, following news of Norwich’s loss to Manchester United, was carried into the opening exchanges with Cahill booked inside the opening minute for a trip on Defoe.
But Khazri planted that free-kick directly into the wall to set the tone for a frustrating and nervous afternoon for home players and supporters alike.
Yedlin started a promising move which ended with his header being kept out from Defoe’s cross and Costa slid within inches of converting Branislav Ivanovic’s cross as he looked to add to his opening goal.
Costa, in fact, should have placed the contest beyond all reasonable doubt inside the opening minutes of the restart. Twice, good approach play by Hazard led to Costa being in space inside the home area but on both occasions he shot quickly, and directly, at keeper Mannone.
But, aside from a one-handed Mannone save that kept out a Willian free-kick, that was little else to trouble the home side after their stunning two goals put them ahead.
Guardian
