When Emmanuel Emegha came on in the 87th minute to join Danny Welbeck up front, the only surprising thing, as Chelsea got desperate in their bid to save themselves at the last at Sunderland, was that it was Jordan Henderson to make way.

Henderson was unlikely to provide the goal threat Chelsea needed in those dying embers of Sunday’s eventual 1-0 defeat, but he had increasingly been the free man and the right passing option for whoever in yellow and black had the ball at their feet as the match had gone on.

A defeat at the Stadium of Light to the side who had begun the day at the bottom of the Premier League table was a grim result for Xabi Alonso’s team to head into the international break with, especially given it was reminiscent of the 3-0 loss at Brentford ahead of the last hiatus.

Chelsea were devoid of ideas and lacking any semblance of the sort of control Alonso has publicly called for from his players.

And yet whatever it is about his team that is failing to give him that control and dominance right now, the problem is to be found elsewhere than where Henderson is going about his business.

Though they won last weekend against Manchester United without him, his return at Sunderland following illness was a welcome one. A midfield of Moises Caicedo plus either Romeo Lavia or Henderson or both, as was deployed on Sunday, is just about the only thing functioning as it should be for Chelsea right now.

For Henderson personally, it was a full-circle afternoon in the North East. Henderson is Sunderland born and bred and his appearance was significant. It was for Sunderland, against Chelsea, that 18 years and seven days earlier he had made his senior debut. Now came the 700th appearance, donning the colours of the visiting team.

The visitors faltered. With a controversial penalty given against them and Cole Palmer contentiously not awarded one of his own, Palmer and Morgan Rogers both had off-days, Levi Colwill was deemed expendable enough to be substituted at half-time, and none of Alonso’s substitutions could force the issue and muster an equaliser.

Henderson was sensible in possession when others around him were not

Henderson, though, was sensible in possession when others around him were not. He kept the ball moving, with one-touch passes into feet, relieving the pressure Chelsea were under in one of English football’s more hostile grounds.

Alonso won all five games against Sunderland as a Liverpool player and scored the winner in one of them, yet no such Midas touch in Chelsea colours from the technical area this time. His Chelsea gave Sunderland their first win in eight Premier League matches.

Winning blockbuster battles against the so-called ‘big six’ is important, but Premier League titles are won and European places earned by finding consistency, by winning home and away against the Sunderlands, Hulls and Fulhams of the Premier League.

Chelsea are yet to reach that point, as Henderson — who spent years in Liverpool teams that could and did — will be all too aware. The 36-year-old is not the problem. He actually represents what there is that’s working.

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