Chelsea 1-2 Sunderland, Premier League: Post-match reaction

It was a dream start for the Blues as Alejandro Garnacho fired a low ball through the legs of an excellent Robin Roefs in the fourth minute to get Stamford Bridge rocking.

But the visitors had already fired a couple warning shots by then, and responded well to the goal by increasing their threat levels on the press and on the counter … though their best chances would come from set pieces. And not unexpectedly, it was from one of those that they would equalize halfway through the first period. Undone by another long throw!

Chelsea had chances of our own off corners, and only an excellent save from Roefs prevented Garnacho from restoring our lead just before the half.

With space at a premium and hard to find when in possession, it was always likely to come down to just one moment to decide the game. Marc Cucurella and Joao Pedro had a couple half-chances thanks to well timed runs, but otherwise Sunderland were defending deep and compact, sometimes with all 11 players in the last 20-25 yards, and generally dealt with every ball into the box.

Estevao’s arrival on the hour-mark briefly injected some new ideas and impetus into the attack, but Sunderland remained fairly comfortable in their tightly congested defensive box.

Alas, neither that, nor any of our subsequent changes were enough to truly make the visitors uncomfortable, and entirely to script, they would nick it at the end. Simple yet effective football, executed to near perfection.

Carefree.

First Chelsea goal for Garnacho

Next up: Wolves away in the League Cup fourth round on Wednesday

KTBFFH

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