Chelsea vs Sunderland match report: Post-Jose Mourinho Blues impress in easy win
Chelsea 3 Sunderland 1
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Your support makes all the difference.An odd afternoon at Stamford Bridge, and an odd result in the context of this remarkable campaign: Chelsea claimed a routine home win.
In that sense, the team responded in the only way they could, but the real intrigue of this occasion was how a disgruntled crowd would respond to the players.
They could not have made their views clearer: they blamed the squad, and enthusiastically backed Jose Mourinho. This, however, put an odd pressure on the team. If Chelsea lifted their game, that could have been seen as an indictment of their effort under Mourinho. If they didn’t, then it would be vindication of the former manager.
The caretaker manager, Steve Holland, said after the game that he asked the players to look beyond the Mourinho saga, stressing their “responsibility to the club... whatever their personal feelings”, adding this was “important”, because defeat would have put them in the relegation zone. A stark statement in itself.
It did seem symbolic that the three goalscorers – Branislav Ivanovic, Pedro and Oscar – played better than at any point this season. That and the nature of this win raised perhaps the biggest question about the current controversy, beyond what Chelsea do in the long term: were the team now turning it on because Mourinho has gone and they are happy with that, or did the absence of Mourinho’s constrained system and cautious approach just mean they were finally able to switch on?
It is an intriguing issue, and one that involves a whole lot of deeper reflections about player motivation, but the truth probably lies somewhere in between, with different answers applicable to different squad members.
One thing is undeniable: there was much more spark to their attacking play. Chelsea’s forward line was interchanging and creating triangles in a way that has been pretty much absent since January.
In that sense, they were released under Holland, and was one conspicuous difference to the team post-Mourinho beyond the final score.
The opening goal was vintage 2014-15 Chelsea, too, as Ivanovic produced precisely the type of goal he had scored so often in the title-winning campaign. The right-back powered in a header from a set-piece after just five minutes.
The speed with which the goal arrived, so shortly after the Mourinho era had ended, emphasised the feel of a new start that the club’s owner, Roman Abramovich had called for.
It was followed by a second within eight minutes, as Pedro oppor- tunistically latched on to a loose ball in the box and hammered it into the roof of the net.
This dominance, however, was not all down to Chelsea. They were helped by Sunderland looking so dismally soft in the first half, indicating just how much work Sam Allardyce has to do with this squad to keep them up.
“I think we made it really easy for them,” the Sunderland manager said, stating that Chelsea “annihilated” his side.
Allardyce did prove proactive, hauling off centre-half Sebastian Coates for attacker Adam Johnson after just 22 minutes. It did eventually have an effect – even if the visitors had to endure going 3-0 down on 50 minutes through Oscar rolling in a penalty after Willian went down in the box. It was Chelsea’s first League penalty of the season. Another sign of change.
Sunderland immediately picked up, and could well have scored more than three themselves as they created a series of chances. While they only took one, with Fabio Borini striking after a poor Thibaut Courtois parry, it was a reminder of why things have been so calamitous at Stamford Bridge this season.
The day emphasised how effective Chelsea can still be as a team – and how oddly idiosyncratic and political they are as a club.
Chelsea: (4-2-3-1) Courtois; Ivanovic, Zouma, Terry, Azpilicueta; Matic, Fabregas (Mikel, 70); Willian, Oscar (Ramires, 82), Pedro; Costa (Rémy, 75).
Sunderland: (3-5-1-1) Pantilimon; Coates (Johnson, 23), O’Shea, Kaboul; Jones , Toivonen (Borini, 45), M’Vila, Rodwell, Van Aanholt; Watmore (Graham, 79); Defoe.
Referee: Roger East.
Man of the match: Oscar (Chelsea)
Match rating: 6/10
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