Is Jobe Bellingham coming back to Sunderland?
Owen Hargreaves praised Kristjaan Speakman’s recruitment and described Sunderland’s supporters as “some of the best” after the club’s stunning win at Chelsea
Speaking on television after the game, the former Manchester United and England midfielder singled out Sunderland’s smart recruitment under Speakman’s leadership and the passionate backing of the club’s travelling fans, describing both as central to their remarkable Premier League start.
“Well, they have got some of the best fans,” Hargreaves said. “Sunderland, we've seen their young star Tabi, who scored the winner. He's only 20, he's got Champions League experience. He's a very good player. We keep talking about how Chelsea signed so many good players. Sunderland have signed some really good players. There's Sadiki as well. Now they're only 20 years old.
“Honestly, whoever's signing these players deserves a shout-out because they're signing some good players that can play in the Premier League, even though they're only 20 years old. And they cost reasonable fees as well. The way this team has been put together is fantastic.”
The ex-midfielder also lauded the Sunderland supporters who packed out the away end in west London to witness the club’s first win at Stamford Bridge since 2014. “Yeah, those Sunderland fans are going to love it,” Hargreaves added. “I reckon it's about five hours on the coach from Chelsea up to the North East. And that is going to be a hell of a journey back. It's like they've won the cup final.”
Sunderland’s victory lifted them to second place in the Premier League table with 17 points from nine matches, continuing an extraordinary start to life back in the top flight and underlining the success of Speakman’s long-term vision for the club.
Speaking on the same television channel, former Brighton and Crystal Palace striker Glenn Murray added: Glenn Murray added: “It was deserved. I thought they were superb throughout the afternoon. The tactics were absolutely perfect. I mean, you see it early, but there is a quarter of the season. It's not like it's the first couple of weekends and they've got 17 points. So, this game was perfect from them. Their expectancy was on Chelsea. And the way they transitioned from defence to attack was absolutely sublime. The work on the training field, we just love what this has done. With a new group of players, fantastic.”
What did Enzo Maresca say after the game against Sunderland?
Enzo Maresca conceded that Chelsea were second best after their 2–1 defeat to Sunderland at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea made a bright start and went ahead early through Alejandro Garnacho, but Wilson Isidor levelled for the visitors before half-time.
Despite dominating possession after the break, the Blues struggled to break down Sunderland’s organised defence and were punished in stoppage time when Chemsdine Talbi struck the winner from Brian Brobbey’s clever assist. Maresca admitted his side’s defending for the decisive goal was poor and accepted that Chelsea had fallen short over the course of the match. "I think we were in general we were not good enough," Maresca said.
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"When you are not good enough in the Premier League, you know the consequences. I've said already, when you are not able to win, it is important that you do not lose. The second goal is not a transition; it's a long ball in behind where we have 2-v-1. We do not defend properly. The first goal comes from a throw-in in but it is difficult; they bring six or seven inside your six-yard box. Overall, we were not good enough.
"It can be an easy situation because it is 2-v-1 and the striker is facing his own goal, probably we are trying to manage the situation because it is 92,93 minutes, because we have to do better. We struggled to create chances, a lack of creativity. We didn't create a lot, we lost some duels and second balls at 1-0 and against this team, we need to do better. When we arrive in certain areas of the pitch, we cross because we expect to have four or five players inside the box, but today, when we cross, probably the quality of the cross was not the best one.”
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