Xabi Alonso’s insistence on not naming a natural center forward to replace the injured João Pedro once again backfired as Chelsea struggled to cause Sunderland any real problems in a bleak 1–0 defeat on Wearside on Sunday afternoon.

It was at the Stadium of Light on the final day of last season that Chelsea sunk to their lowest ebb while Sunderland scaled an unthinkable high. The Black Cats leapfrogged their illustrious visitors with a 2–1 win, sending the Blues down to 10th while they soared all the way up to seventh and Europa League qualification. The fortunes of both have been reversed this season, but the hosts would once again emerge triumphant in this fixture.

Brian Brobbey showed Chelsea the benefits of an in-form frontman with a battling performance, winning the penalty which Enzo Le Fée converted for the only goal of the game. Brobbey could have added to a slender scoreline that didn’t reflect the balance of play as Chelsea were left to lament the No. 9 they had been forced to leave at home.

One Thing We Can’t Ignore

The long shadow of João Pedro cast over Chelsea once again. The club’s leading scorer this season missed his fourth Premier League fixture of the campaign, giving way to yet another afternoon of almost entirely toothless attacking play.

Even before Sunday’s shoddy showing, Chelsea were comfortably muzzled by Brentford and even Tottenham Hotspur without their prolific Brazilian leading the line. The only exception to this creative block was last weekend’s victory over Manchester United, who did their best to hand Chelsea all three points at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea’s Premier League Matches Without Joao Pedro

• 3–0 Loss vs. Brentford: 0.83 xG
• 2–0 Loss vs. Tottenham: 0.47 xG
• 2–0 Win vs. Man Utd: 3.01 xG
• 1–0 Loss vs. Sunderland: 0.53 xG

Sunderland have been in miserable form this season and started the day at the foot of the Premier League table after shipping 17 goals in the first nine league games of the season. The hosts are owed some credit for the way they manhandled their visitors. “We need to be pragmatic first,” as Régis Le Bris had warned prematch, “because it is clear if you concede goals it is more difficult to win the game.”

But Chelsea’s struggles without Pedro are now a desperately concerning trend. After Danny Welbeck’s failed outing against Brentford in September, Alonso has turned to Morgan Rogers and, as on Sunday, Pedro Neto to lead a fluid frontline. Yet, without the unique blend of control and creativity offered by Chelsea’s regular No. 9, the team’s entire top half has toppled over.

Chelsea Player Ratings vs. Sunderland (4-3-3)

GK: Mike Penders—6.8: Helpless for the penalty but made some excellent saves from even closer than 12 yards.

RB: Marco Palestra—6.9: Engaged in a compelling battle with Sunderland’s Chemsdine Talbi, who could be happy with his afternoon.

CB: Wesley Fofana—7.6: Never inspires much confidence and Sunday’s shaky showing was no exception.

CB: Levi Colwill—6.7: Kept on giving Brobbey exactly what he wanted: contact. There is only ever going to be one winner in a physical tussle with the human embodiment of a clenched bicep. Unsurprisingly hooked at halftime.

LB: Pep Chavarría—6.8: Given license to patrol the entire left flank while Morgan Rogers tucked infield, yet struggled to make the most of that freedom.

CM: Moisés Caicedo—7.6: Chelsea’s talismanic anchor was buffeted around the wind-swept Stadium of Light.

CM: Roméo Lavia—6.8: Struggled to exert his authority over a game that lacked any semblance of Chelsea control.

CM: Jordan Henderson—6.6: Back at his boyhood club, Henderson did not have the homecoming he had anticipated.

RW: Cole Palmer—6.7: One frustrating and ultimately futile penalty appeal aside, Palmer couldn’t leave his stamp on this contest.

ST: Pedro Neto—6.2: A false nine for a false performance, failing to offer any threat either in the box or by overloading midfield.

LW: Morgan Rogers—6.2: The most probing of Chelsea’s starting forwards, although that is something of a caveated compliment.

SUB: Estêvão (46’ for Colwill)—6.7: Brought a bit of zip and fizz but soon fell flat like the rest of his teammates.

SUB: Danny Welbeck (62’ for Neto)—5.7

SUB: Malo Gusto (62’ for Palestra)—7.0

SUB: Geovany Quenda (79’ for Chavarría)—5.9

SUB: Emanuel Emegha (88’ for Henderson)—N/A

Subs not used: Teddy Sharman-Lowe (GK), Aaron Anselmino, Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli, Valentín Barco.

What the Ratings Tell Us

• This was a nightmarish outing for Levi Colwill. Every center back knows they’ve been in a match after coming up against an in-form Brobbey but the Chelsea vice-captain must have felt like he’d been in a washing machine for 45 minutes. Colwill’s halftime withdrawal was a small act of mercy as Alonso left him in the locker room to whirl around looking for a place to sit.
• “He needs to focus on his thing,” Alonso said of Cole Palmer after Thomas Tuchel pointedly snubbed the waning playmaker for England’s November roster, “his thing is to play good football.” Palmer emphatically didn’t “do his thing” at the Stadium of Light, in a performance of little cunning, craft or creativity.
• It wasn’t all bad news for the Blues. Alonso opted against rushing Emiliano Martínez back from a broken jaw to keep his faith in the mercurial Mike Penders. The 21-year-old wasn’t overly tested outside the penalty but held his nerve well when charging onto balls over the top.

The Numbers That Explain Chelsea’s Limp Defeat

• Chelsea’s unorthodox striker Pedro Neto failed to take a single touch inside Sunderland’s penalty box during his hour on the pitch, ramming home another failed center forward experiment for this João Pedro-less iteration of Alonso’s side.
• Robbed of any focal point, Chelsea managed to carve out just one shot worth more than 0.08 xG across the entire encounter. Sunderland had six such efforts.