Sunderland produced a fine performance on Sunday, as they beat Chelsea 1-0 at the Stadium of Light.

Here are our Scout Notes from the game.

CHELSEA DISAPPOINT

In a tough afternoon for Chelsea, Xabi Alonso’s men could only muster 0.53 expected goals (xG) on Wearside.

The Blues enjoyed plenty of possession, but they had just 10 shots on goal and created few clear-cut chances.

Cole Palmer (£9.8m) had a penalty shout turned away in the first half, while Morgan Rogers (£8.2m) headed Marco Palestra’s (£5.3m) cross wide from close range, but both players made little impact overall.

Pedro Neto (£6.6m), deployed as a striker just as he was against Manchester United last week, was also ineffective.

“We were running against the low block. We missed a bit of patience, a bit of quality and creativity in the last third to create more chances. You need to be more consistent and move the ball from one side to the other, and we didn’t do it good enough. We were trying but we were not producing much. So, yeah, with the first goal it was important and today, being behind, we didn’t produce enough.” – Xabi Alonso

Alonso opted for more steel in midfield for this match, with Jordan Henderson (£4.9m) joining Romeo Lavia (£5.0m) and Moises Caicedo (£5.3m) in a 4-3-3 formation. Estevao (£6.3m) subsequently dropped to the bench, despite his impressive display in the 2-0 win over Man Utd last weekend.

And that lack of creativity surely cost them, with the three midfielders managing just one key pass between them.

In reality, however, the problems run deeper, with Chelsea ranked among the bottom six teams for xG over the last six Gameweeks…

Above: Teams sorted by fewest expected goals (xG) over the last six Gameweeks

Joao Pedro (£7.7m) increasingly appears to be Chelsea’s most important player, then, having missed four of the Blues’ six matches during that run.

“You didn’t ask that last week when we won against United. For sure, we miss him. Even when we win, even when we lose, we miss some players that we have injured. For sure, we are waiting to have them back, because they are important. Now, we need to use the time to recover them, but we have to get ready for the next one.” – Xabi Alonso when asked how much Chelsea are missing Joao Pedro

MARTINEZ + ACHEAMPONG LATEST

Josh Acheampong (£4.5m) missed out for Chelsea, prompting Palestra to move to right-back.

“Yesterday Josh felt something and he was not fit to play.

“He is recovering from a minor thing. He missed the fitness to be ready for today but we are expecting that he will be back after the international break. It’s a pity because he was in a good moment.” – Xabi Alonso on Josh Acheampong

Emiliano Martinez (£4.9m) wasn’t quite ready to feature, either, despite having a protective mask fitted and pushing for a return.

“He has made a great effort to be available but probably it was too rash, too risky. So, he will use one more week, 10 days, to keep on training and get used to the mask. I’m sure after the break he will be available.” – Xabi Alonso on Emiliano Martinez

SUNDERLAND “TURNING POINT”

In many ways, this was the 2025/26 version of Sunderland, as they delivered a superb defensive display at the Stadium of Light.

The Black Cats won the midfield battle, and subsequently kept their second clean sheet in a row on home turf, with the returning Nordi Mukiele (£5.3m) a standout performer at the back.

He was one of just four players to bank defensive contribution (DefCon) points, with teammates Noah Sadiki (£4.8m) and substitute Jules Ahoka (£4.4m), as well as Chelsea’s Caicedo, who played as a centre-back after the break.

Sunderland also posed a real threat in attack, however…

Brian Brobbey (£5.7m) in particular impressed, with Levi Colwill (£4.8m) unable to deal with his power. He fired wide from a lovely Chemsdine Talbi (£5.2m) delivery, before winning the all-important penalty.

Enzo Le Fee (£5.7m) rolled it into the bottom corner to net his third league goal of the season – all of those strikes have been penalties.

“The aggression was there, the intensity was there, the energy was there. Three points at the end of it all. It was important before the international break, at the end of this nine-game block. The three points are crucial in the league, but also the reconnection with our identity and our fans.

“Every three days you have to reset and go again, but today the connection was perfect. It’s a good turning point. I would like to say it’s going to be consistent, but we have to stay alert. I’m happy to reconnect and happy for the three points, but there’s still a long way to go.” – Regis Le Bris

LE BRIS ON XHAKA

Granit Xhaka (£5.3m) had to come off after only three minutes, after he suffered a calf injury in the warm-up.

“It looks like a calf injury, but we don’t know exactly the timeframe at the minute. It was just the last sprint of the warm-up, that’s often the case.” – Regis Le Bris on Granit Xhaka

Xhaka – who was at least able to walk off – was replaced by Ahoka, 20, who really impressed in the middle of the park with Sadiki.

Brobbey also appeared to hobble off when substituted, although the post-match presser failed to elicit an update from Le Bris.