Sunderland vs Chelsea match report: Antonio Conte's side maintain winning streak to confirm top spot at Christmas
Sunderland 0 Chelsea 1: Cesc Fabregas' first-half strike proved enough to claim all three points, but the league leaders could and perhaps should have won by more
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Your support makes all the difference.Imperious Chelsea; played 10, won 10, scored 24, conceded 2. Sometimes you just have to doff the cap. Since the start of October, they have become the Premier League untouchables.
The roll continued without any threat at the Stadium of Light. For David Moyes it was about different numbers. Five centre halves, two full backs, one goalkeeper. More or less nil ambition. There was an attempt to stifle Chelsea but it never looked enough, not once Cesc Fabregas had scored a fine goal in the 40th minute, surprisingly his first of the season.
It was enough for a victory far more comfortable than the scoreline might suggest. It was the only number to query on the night. Chelsea were never shot shy, or short of ambition, just lacking an ounce of clinical finishing. It was hard to be too picky.
Victory moved them six points clear of second placed Liverpool and Arsenal. Crystal Palace, Bournemouth and Stoke are up next. There are coat tails for those with title credentials to hold onto. Chelsea are the team to keep up with.
That was something Sunderland never even looked liked they fancied doing.
Marcos Alonso had shot over and Diego Costa had misconnected a volley from a left wing cross from the same player before they had their lead, five minutes before the interval.
David Moyes will have rued poor defending, headers not headed properly from John O’Shea and Billy Jones before the outstanding N’Golo Kante out jumped Jan Kirchhoff to head the ball into the path of Pedro.
Pedro drove and fed Fabregas and from there Sunderland were in serious trouble, outnumbered even with seven defender in their 10 outfield players. Fabregas went wide to Willian, took a return pass and then struck a fine, crisp, right footed finish into the bottom corner of Jordan Pickford’s goal.
It would prove to be the game-winning goal, and there was surprise in that. The Sunderland goal was peppered after the interval. Chelsea, dominant and superior all over the pitch, fluffed their lines only in the home penalty area.
The chances were endless. Three minutes into the second half the tone was set. Victor Moses ran and fired an angle shot that flew over the corner of Pickford’s goal. Willian saw a deflected shot clip the crossbar, Moses was denied, low to Pickford’s left and Costa’s driving run was ended by the Sunderland goalkeeper.
The Chelsea forward was denied when clear though by Lamine Kone, Moses went close, again, and then again, and the watch showed only an hour had been played. The home side had nowhere to play. Willian shot narrowly wide and Kante, the game’s best player burst through, only to shoot straight at Pickford.
Only briefly was there consternation for the visitors, at the start of the second half and then at the death. Jermain Defoe remains a shining light in a poor team. It was his ball, as he ran at a back peddling Chelsea defence in the 47th minute that teed up the overlapping Adnan Januzaj, to his right.
The former Manchester United winger took a touch and then struck a low, right footed shot that Thibaut Courtois did well to save with his outstretched left leg. In the third and final minute of added on time, after a left wing Sunderland corner, Patrick van Aanholt volleyed from the edge of the box and Courtois took off to his right to produce a fine, finger-tip save. It was enough. Chelsea finished as they started. Top. Sunderland did the same, bottom, rock bottom, and more struggle ahead.
‘Ten in a row,’ came the cry from those supporters heading south. It deserved an airing.
Sunderland (5-2-2-1): Pickford; Jones (Love 59), Kone, O’Shea, Djilobodji, Van Aanholt; Denayer, Kirchhoff (Larsson 57); Januzaj, Borini (Khazri 83); Defoe.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Azpilicueta, Luiz, Cahill, Alonso; Kante, Fabregas; Moses (Ivanovic 90), Willian (Chalobah 89), Pedro (Matic 76); Costa.
Referee: N Swarbrick
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