Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso gestures
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Xabi Alonso, manager of Chelsea
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Chelsea FC Training Session
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Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso watches on
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Sunderland v Chelsea FC - Premier League 2026/27
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Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso appears dejected
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Sunderland v Chelsea FC - Premier League 2026/27
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Chelsea might have suffered a 1-0 loss to Sunderland, but there were a handful of positive performances on the day, leaving Xabi Alonso with plenty to ponder during the international break.
The Blues might feel somewhat hard done by after losing on Sunday, with the Blues conceding a penalty after Cole Palmer thought he won one himself. Mike Penders was clear: it wasn’t a Sunderland spot-kick.
Despite the loss, which comes at a bad time just before the international break, there were some positive Chelsea performances, and for those who didn’t play, their importance rose further because of the loss.
READ MORE: Steven Gerrard thinks something is ‘brewing’ between Cole Palmer and Thomas Tuchel
The five winners from Chelsea’s 1-0 defeat to Sunderland
Mike Penders
Hugely unlucky to be on the losing side, Penders was excellent throughout. While he couldn’t save the penalty, the Belgian goalkeeper arguably produced his best display in a Chelsea shirt since joining.
A huge save to deny Wilson Isidor at point-blank range kept Chelsea in the game. His distribution was also impressive, completing 26 of 30 passes – better than previous Chelsea target Robin Roefs (15/32).
Chelsea lose to Sunderland AGAIN! Who do you blame for the defeat? 🤔
Sometimes Chelsea turn up to a match and think they are better than the other teams and then don't play like they should.
@will.butcher please don't make excuses for poor team selection. The point of having 3 strikers in the squad is that when one gets injured you have two who can replace him.
I think Alonso got a lot wrong yesterday, but if Colwill wasn’t so naive, we would have at least got a draw. I know some feel Brobbey was doing most of the shirt pulling, but I don’t like how Colwill found himself in that situation in the first place.
Geovany Quenda
Quenda came on in the 79th minute, replacing Pep Chavarria, and put in some wonderful crosses for the likes of Danny Welbeck, Emmanuel Emegha and Morgan Rogers to attack. He almost scored, as well.
A deflected effort whizzed past Roefs’ post. The £40m man has only started one Premier League game, and will be forced to feed off scraps this season. But his cameo role against Sunderland was excellent.
Estevao
Like Quenda, Estevao was forced to be satisfied as a substitute, but the Brazil international did come on at half-time and instantly put Reinildo Mandava on the back foot. He gave Chelsea some attacking impetus.
He might have done better in a couple of situations, but it was another reminder for Xabi Alonso that the Brazilian is a real threat, especially when Chelsea are pushing for a goal. Unlucky not to get an assist.
Josh Acheampong
The issue with Chelsea’s performance was largely their defence, and Brian Brobbey getting the better of Chelsea’s centre-backs. Josh Acheampong’s omission made Chelsea a whole lot weaker at the back.
It is claimed Wesley Fofana and Moises Caicedo even clapped Brobbey off the pitch, with the Dutchman easily the most influential player on the pitch. Brobbey’s display highlighted Acheampong’s absence.
Romeo Lavia
He hadn’t completed 90 minutes in a Chelsea shirt for more than three years. Then, three games in a row, the £58m star has been on the pitch until full-time. The Belgian was excellent again, and the stats show it.
More touches than anyone (107), Lavia completed 94% of his passes and was joint-third for recoveries. He ran the fourth-most of Chelsea’s players, winning four duels and ultimately playing well in a losing side.