Sunderland finally ended their eight-match Premier League winless streak with a battle-hardened 1-0 victory over Chelsea at the Stadium of Light.
Enzo Le Fee penalty clinch a win for the first time in eight league outings and third successive victory over Chelsea in head to head.
The early phases created very few clear-cut chances, with Brian Brobbey unable to take advantage after Chemsdine Talbi crossed excellently from the left.
Chelsea appeared to have a good opportunity to go ahead when Cole Palmer was brought down by Luke O’Nien only for referee Jarred Gillett and VAR to decide the challenge was made outside the penalty box.
At the other end, the home side had a penalty when Levi Colwill brought down Brobbey. Le Fee made no mistake and placed a precise shot the other way to give the advantage to the home team.
Chelsea did not respond to the restart well, as they did not record a shot in the first 15 minutes of the second-half although Xabi Alonso brought on some attacking changes.
Wilson Isidor’s failure to make the most of chances to put Sunderland in front was costly, and Danny Welbeck’s late miss was just as significant.
The win moved Sunderland out of the relegation zone, while Chelsea lost their eighth successive away game.
