Cole Palmer scored his first goal in well over two months in Chelsea's defeat to Sunderland(Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)
Chelsea will not play European football next season after losing 2-1 to Sunderland on the final day of the campaign, as the Blues once again saw a man sent off.
Trai Hume's first-half goal proved to be enough for the Black Cats, who, staggeringly, will be playing in Europe next term. As for the Blues, it was another abject performance. Rather fitting, in many ways, for Chelsea to perform the way they did on Sunday afternoon in their final match of a massively underwhelming campaign.
Cole Palmer had a really good opportunity to open the scoring just four minutes in but the Blues attacker's effort was tame and straight at Robin Roefs. After that, though, the Black Cats found their feet and started to dominate Chelsea in a boiling hot May afternoon in the north-east.
Sunderland took a deserved lead 25 minutes in with Hume volleying past Robert Sanchez at the near post. A really poor goal for the Blues to concede given it was a simple lump forward from goalkeeper Roefs that caused the mayhem at the back.
Early in the second period, Sunderland doubled their lead. Malo Gusto turned the ball into his own goal after Brian Brobbey scuffed his shot across the face.
Chelsea responded through Palmer not long after. Just a few minutes later, Wesley Fofana's foul on Wilson Isidor saw him booked for the second time and sent off - perfectly encapsulating Chelsea's entire season on the final day.
Below, **Bobby Vincent** has rated the Chelsea players based on their performance:
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**Robert Sanchez** - The goalkeeper was called into action just seven minutes in and did well to parry Enzo Le Fee's effort away. A huge save at the start of the second half to deny Brobbey one-on-one. Apart from that, Sanchez dealt well with Sunderland's set-pieces - a lot of which ended up being pumped into the Chelsea box. **5**
**Wesley Fofana** \- Sent off around an hour in. Needless foul on Isidor, especially when he was already on a yellow. Fofana's second red card of the season and Chelsea's 11th in all competitions. Wow. **2**
**Levi Colwill** \- In what has been such a frustrating season for Colwill, who spent the majority of it in rehab for his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, it was good to see him conclude the campaign out on the pitch. A fantastic last-ditch challenge from Colwill to prevent Brobbey a good chance at goal at 18 minutes. The best out of the Chelsea defence. **6**
**Jorrel Hato** \- Chelsea's most consistent performer since the turn of the year? I'm not sure many could argue against that. The Dutchman, though, struggled to start with at the Stadium of Light. He was caught in possession on multiple occasions and gifted Sunderland some good opportunities. Hato was not very good for Hume's goal, losing a crucial header that led to Sunderland taking the lead. **4**
**Malo Gusto** \- Wasteful in possession. When Gusto plays like that, he can be a really tough watch. The own goal early in the second half summed up a poor afternoon for the France international. **3**
**Moises Caicedo** \- Not his best. Far from the biggest of Chelsea's problems out on the pitch but, all the same, not at his best. **6**
**Enzo Fernandez** \- A frustrating display from one of Chelsea's best players this season. It will be interesting to see if this is the last time we see him in a Chelsea shirt. A summer of speculation awaits. **5**
**Marc Cucurella** \- Nowhere near his best. Nowhere to be seen for Hume's goal. The Spaniard came over far too late, and by the time he did, Hume was in too much space. For Cucurella's standards, a poor display. **4**
**Cole Palmer** \- He does really well with an intelligent run to create a great chance on four minutes. However, typically of Palmer in recent times, his effort was tame. Wasteful and ineffective. Thankfully, not long after Sunderland went two up, Palmer grabbed one back from distance, albeit with the help of some poor goalkeeping from Roefs.
Palmer's first goal - in any competition - since early-March. He came into the game on a 14-match goalless run. **7**
**Pedro Neto** \- Played alongside Joao Pedro up front, surprisingly, to start with. His confidence looked shot. There were at least a couple of occasions where Neto had the chance to take his man on but more often than not, he would play safe and go sideways/backwards. **5**
**Joao Pedro** \- The Brazilian should score on 38 minutes after being found by Gusto's cross. Joao Pedro glanced the header wide from close range. You would have expected him to bury it. **5**
**Reece James (on for Hato 53')** \- Probably should have come on at the half-time break. Did okay, but couldn't make too much of an impact. **5**
**Trevoh Chalobah (on for Neto 65')** \- Difficult circumstances to arrive into. Did fine when called upon. **6**
**Josh Acheampong (on for Gusto 85')** \- Some minutes, but not enough. The story of the season for the Cobham graduate. **N/A**
**Liam Delap (on for Caicedo 85')** \- Calum McFarlane threw his No.9 on with five minutes of normal time remaining but he didn't have enough time to make the desired impact. The end of a disappointing debut season for Delap. **N/A**