Chelsea were defeated by Sunderland, and for many fans, it still hurts to have dropped three points against a side that were previously bottom of the table.

The disappointment surrounding the performance still rankles, but having already highlighted the afternoon's losers and hammered the player ratings, it is only fair to take a breather, reflect, dig a little deeper, and recognise the winners in Chelsea's result and overall showing.

Here are the four winners from yesterday:

Mike Penders

Easily Chelsea's standout performer on the night, the goalkeeper has made a strong case for keeping Emi Martinez's shirt when he returns from injury and international duty. The key difference is his passing ability, completing 26 of his 30 passes and allowing Chelsea to retain possession while attempting to play through Sunderland's intense pressing.

The Belgian keeper denied Wilson Isidor from close range but could do nothing about Enzo Le Fée's calmly dispatched penalty. Magic Mike shone on a stage where his fellow professionals appeared to get camera shy.

Joao Pedro and the fellow strikers

The Brazilian didn't take to the field, but he will have been one of the winners from the afternoon. Chelsea's performance made it clear that the system of playing without a recognised striker and instead using a false nine simply isn't working.

That role of Pedro Neto or Morgan Rogers simply isn't working. With Danny Welbeck and Emmanuel Emegha offering alternative options, there is hope for improvement, particularly after Chelsea's performance picked up when the pair came on.

Geovanny Quenda

The winger came on and immediately offered a threat going forward, even coming close to grabbing the equaliser when his deflected effort narrowly went wide.

We haven't seen much of the Portuguese winger so far, but hopefully he can bring some magic to the pitch after the international break and push ahead of the more established attackers, who are ultimately failing to deliver at the moment.

Jordan Henderson

Not for his performance, but for the round of applause he received when substituted in the 61st minute. That will have meant a lot to the England international, who made his debut at the Stadium of Light against Chelsea back in 2008.