Sunderland Secure Europa League Spot with Dramatic Win Over Chelsea

Who saw this coming? A year ago Sunderland won the Championship playoffs and were everybody’s favourite for an immediate relegation. Instead, Régis Le Bris’s wonderfully resilient side have finished seventh and secured a lucrative passport to the Europa League.

This fully merited win against a Chelsea side whose own European ambitions were shredded along the way was in many ways emblematic of their season. It was a day when the second tier old boys upstaged the Club World Cup holders and Enzo Le Fée eclipsed Chelsea’s World Cup winning Enzo Fernández.

It is not so long ago that Luke O’Nien was playing League One football with Sunderland but, here, the central defender fully held his own against Chelsea’s defence and even found time to turn goal creator by using his head to flick a long ball from Robin Roefs into Trai Hume’s path.

The Northern Ireland international responded instinctively and, as Hume’s fabulous, first time, high-velocity volley, struck with the outside of his right foot, hit the back of Robert Sánchez’s net, Chelsea’s European vision instantly receded.

To say that 25th-minute opener from Hume – who had an excellent game – was deserved would be an understatement. The visitors struggled to cope with Sunderland’s intensity and invention and spent long periods camped, uncomfortably, in their own half.

The moment when Fernández shoved the, once again, influential Le Fée over proved a microcosm of the mounting visiting frustration as they struggled to dismantle their hosts’ hallmark passing triangles.

Le Fée began the second half by sending a clever flicked pass into the path of Brian Brobbey and only Sánchez’s outstretched leg came between the Dutchman and an extension of Sunderland’s lead.

It proved only a temporary stay of execution for Callum McFarlane’s side. When Le Fée did well to keep the ball in play and cross from the right Brobbey’s connection was poor. Indeed, his shot was bobbling wide when it deflected off Malo Gusto’s shin before flying past Sánchez. As Le Bris and his coaching staff danced with joy in the home technical area, Gusto looked mortified.

The moment had arrived for the previously near anonymous Cole Palmer to remind Thomas Tuchel that, despite behind omitted from the England squad, he remains a far from shabby finisher. A swipe of Palmer’s left boot from about 20 yards certainly proved too good for Roefs who could not hold a shot he probably should have saved.

As the tension rose and temperatures frayed, Wesley Fofana was sent off in the 62nd minute after collecting a second yellow card, for attempting to rugby tackle Wilson Isidor.

Ten minutes of edgy stoppage time, featuring a standing ovation for Le Fée as he was replaced by Chris Rigg, only added to the drama.