Unexpected sensation in the Premier League: Chelsea loses to Sunderland away

8 November 2026, 22:34·2·Sport

An unexpected result was recorded for fans in the 10th round of the English Premier League. London club Chelsea, which has been among the league leaders, visited Sunderland, a team currently in the lower ranks, and lost 0:1.

It is noteworthy that the "Black Cats" are becoming a truly uncomfortable opponent for the Londoners: Chelsea lost to this very team in both encounters last season. This defeat caused that tradition to continue.

Le Fee's decisive penalty and the pressure at the Stadium of Light

The match was held under intense pressure and fierce struggle from the hosts:

36th-minute penalty: In the 35th minute of the first half, Levi Colwill committed a foul in his own penalty area and received a yellow card. Enzo Le Fee calmly converted the penalty awarded in the 36th minute to open the scoring — 1:0;
Rain of yellow cards: During the match, the referee showed a total of 9 yellow cards in a game full of hard tackles (4 players from Chelsea and 5 from the hosts were cautioned);
Alonso's substitutions did not pay off: Although London head coach Xabi Alonso brought on attacking forces like Estevao, Malo Gusto, Welbeck, and Kenda in the second half, it was impossible to break through Sunderland's disciplined defense.

Match report and lineups

EPL. 10th round
Sunderland — Chelsea 1:0
November 8, Stadium of Light
Goal: Le Fee (36, pen.).
Cautions: Ahoka (21), Colwill (35), Mvoue (50), Brobbey (53), Neto (55), Caicedo (76), O'Nien (90), Fofana (90+2), Angulo (90+4).
Sunderland: Rufs, Mvoue, Mukiele, O'Nien, Mandava, Xhaka (Ahoka, 4), Sadiki, Hume, Talbi (Angulo, 88), Le Fee (Rigg, 88), Brobbey (Isidor, 67).
Chelsea: Penders, Palestra (Gusto, 62), Fofana, Colwill (Estevao, 46), Chavarria (Kenda, 79), Caicedo, Henderson (Emega, 79), Lavia, Palmer, Rogers, Neto (Welbeck, 62).

Changes in the tournament table

This unexpected setback significantly damaged the London team's position in the league:

Chelsea dropped out of the top four: The team, with 16 points, fell to 5th place, vacating their spot in the Champions League zone to Liverpool (18 points);
Sunderland escaping the relegation zone: Having secured a sensational three points, the hosts increased their tally to 8 points, rising from the bottom 20th place to 18th.