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Are Sunderland good?
Chemsdine Talbi celebrates at Stamford Bridge Ian Horrocks
By Cerys Jones and Anantaajith Raghuraman
Oct. 26, 2025Updated 4:05 pm GMT
At first glance, Sunderland’s 2-1 win at Chelsea looks like a smash-and-grab upset. It was much more than that.
When Regis Le Bris’ side returned to the Premier League after eight years away, there were questions. How would a manager with limited top-flight experience get so many new players to gel quickly? How would the team with the worst defensive record of the three promoted sides stand up to elite attackers? Did Granit Xhaka really understand what he was getting himself into?
The answers now seem to be: with ease, superbly, and yes.
Before Sunday’s fixtures, Sunderland sit second in the Premier League, two points behind leaders Arsenal and have the joint-third best defensive record. One of the final sticks to beat them with was how they would stand up to a Champions League team, and they answered that on Saturday.
The result at Stamford Bridge was a shock, but there wasn’t much about Sunderland’s game that was out of the ordinary. This was far from a fluke; it was a culmination of all Le Bris’ Sunderland have built.
When Nordi Mukiele allowed Alejandro Garnacho space to poke an opener under Robin Roefs after four minutes, it would have been understandable if the wheels came off. Sunderland had only recorded one win away from home in the league so far, in Ange Postecoglou’s first home game in charge at Nottingham Forest. Chelsea were on a four-game winning streak in all competitions, including against Liverpool.
But even after that early goal, it was clear Le Bris had no intention of rolling over. He spent the aftermath of Garnacho’s opener showing off an impressive finger whistle to get his players’ attention and make slight tweaks. As the minutes went by, those whistles became less and less frequent as Sunderland settled.
“After probably 15 minutes, we found the right balance,” Le Bris said after the match. “I didn’t change the game plan because it was the way we wanted to build this game, but when you are on the pitch, it’s different.
“It’s sometimes difficult to find the right balance, and we still have a really young squad with a limited share of experience, so we have to learn from different situations.”
They learned immediately from Garnacho’s goal. Sunderland were playing, unusually, with a back five and after conceding, they quickly started doubling up on the Chelsea winger to deny him space to cut into. Winger Bertrand Traore did his fair share of defensive work, shutting down space in the right channel, and Trai Hume was industrious in pushing up to aid attacks and recovering to avoid being exploited on the counter.
That was an example of how Sunderland elected to play to their own strengths, rather than fearing Chelsea’s. Le Bris explained after the match that they had expected plenty of pressure on the wings as they had made a conscious decision to focus on closing off the central areas.
With Estevao, Garnacho, Jamie Gittens, and Pedro Neto all in Chelsea’s ranks, it was a gamble to direct pressure down the flanks — but as we can see from Chelsea’s pass map on the left of the dashboard, it was successful. Chelsea’s wingers were their main attacking threats, and Sunderland’s block stopped them from gaining ground in the central areas.
Their impressive handling of defence and attack plays out neatly in the example below from the 73rd minute. As Chelsea look to mount another attack, their block is impenetrable; Le Bris, after the game, described it as “connected, really strong, hard to beat”.
We can see that in the way Sunderland’s players shift together across the pitch while still maintaining discipline in their shape and closing off key threats.
Note how Wilson Isidor is closely marking key Chelsea playmaker Moises Caicedo: the Sunderland striker was disciplined in doing so throughout the game. Even in Chelsea’s defensive half, he stuck to closing off their main creator Caicedo rather than being tempted to press the back line.
When Chelsea try to move through the centre, Sunderland smother it and have the chance to counter — but show crucial patience.
In the first frame, Isidor on the ball has the option of trying to turn and drive into the open space behind Chelsea’s back line, but spots Enzo Le Fee on the left…
Laying it off to Le Fee allows Sunderland attackers time to get forward, including Xhaka, who is only denied by a Josh Acheampong block. He also had the option to pass to Chemsdine Talbi, who has done well to get up the pitch and who Marc Cucurella is not tight to.
In that roughly 40-second snapshot, Sunderland showcase their defensive discipline, intelligence in build-up, and counter-attacking threat — none of which are new. Those same attributes have characterised their incredible start to the season.
Their summer investment is also paying off. Le Bris described Xhaka as “like a second coach on the pitch”, bringing experience to an otherwise young squad. Twenty-year-old Noah Sadiki, who joined from Union Saint-Gilloise, worked exceptionally hard in midfield. Lutsharel Geertruida, on his first start for the club, performed well, and Le Bris praised how the 25-year-old had “stayed positive” despite being lower down the pecking order.
“I’m happy for him, and happy for our finishers, and the players who are not so much involved so far,” Le Bris said.
Fittingly, the winner came from Le Bris’ faith in his summer signings. Geertruida picked out Brian Brobbey with a long ball, and he was given an inexplicably long time to hold up play in the box as his colleagues ran up to join him. He found fellow substitute Talbi, who slotted home.
Yes, the winner came from route one football. Yes, Chelsea should have put in a challenge, should have tracked Talbi, should have put the game to bed by following up on Garnacho’s opener. None of that will keep Le Bris or his players awake tonight. Instead, they will be remembering the roar of the away end, and the celebrations after the final whistle.
This win played out dramatically, but was built from the quiet competence, smart signings, and stellar game management that have made Sunderland this season’s surprise package.
By Cerys Jones and Anantaajith Raghuraman
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6750099/2025/10/26/sunderland-premier-league-chelsea/
Are Sunderland good?
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Chemsdine Talbi celebrates at Stamford Bridge Ian Horrocks
By Cerys Jones and Anantaajith Raghuraman
Oct. 26, 2025Updated 4:05 pm GMT
At first glance, Sunderland’s 2-1 win at Chelsea looks like a smash-and-grab upset. It was much more than that.
When Regis Le Bris’ side returned to the Premier League after eight years away, there were questions. How would a manager with limited top-flight experience get so many new players to gel quickly? How would the team with the worst defensive record of the three promoted sides stand up to elite attackers? Did Granit Xhaka really understand what he was getting himself into?
The answers now seem to be: with ease, superbly, and yes.
Before Sunday’s fixtures, Sunderland sit second in the Premier League, two points behind leaders Arsenal and have the joint-third best defensive record. One of the final sticks to beat them with was how they would stand up to a Champions League team, and they answered that on Saturday.
The result at Stamford Bridge was a shock, but there wasn’t much about Sunderland’s game that was out of the ordinary. This was far from a fluke; it was a culmination of all Le Bris’ Sunderland have built.
When Nordi Mukiele allowed Alejandro Garnacho space to poke an opener under Robin Roefs after four minutes, it would have been understandable if the wheels came off. Sunderland had only recorded one win away from home in the league so far, in Ange Postecoglou’s first home game in charge at Nottingham Forest. Chelsea were on a four-game winning streak in all competitions, including against Liverpool.
But even after that early goal, it was clear Le Bris had no intention of rolling over. He spent the aftermath of Garnacho’s opener showing off an impressive finger whistle to get his players’ attention and make slight tweaks. As the minutes went by, those whistles became less and less frequent as Sunderland settled.
“After probably 15 minutes, we found the right balance,” Le Bris said after the match. “I didn’t change the game plan because it was the way we wanted to build this game, but when you are on the pitch, it’s different.
“It’s sometimes difficult to find the right balance, and we still have a really young squad with a limited share of experience, so we have to learn from different situations.”
They learned immediately from Garnacho’s goal. Sunderland were playing, unusually, with a back five and after conceding, they quickly started doubling up on the Chelsea winger to deny him space to cut into. Winger Bertrand Traore did his fair share of defensive work, shutting down space in the right channel, and Trai Hume was industrious in pushing up to aid attacks and recovering to avoid being exploited on the counter.
That was an example of how Sunderland elected to play to their own strengths, rather than fearing Chelsea’s. Le Bris explained after the match that they had expected plenty of pressure on the wings as they had made a conscious decision to focus on closing off the central areas.
With Estevao, Garnacho, Jamie Gittens, and Pedro Neto all in Chelsea’s ranks, it was a gamble to direct pressure down the flanks — but as we can see from Chelsea’s pass map on the left of the dashboard, it was successful. Chelsea’s wingers were their main attacking threats, and Sunderland’s block stopped them from gaining ground in the central areas.
You must log in or register to see images
Their impressive handling of defence and attack plays out neatly in the example below from the 73rd minute. As Chelsea look to mount another attack, their block is impenetrable; Le Bris, after the game, described it as “connected, really strong, hard to beat”.
We can see that in the way Sunderland’s players shift together across the pitch while still maintaining discipline in their shape and closing off key threats.
Note how Wilson Isidor is closely marking key Chelsea playmaker Moises Caicedo: the Sunderland striker was disciplined in doing so throughout the game. Even in Chelsea’s defensive half, he stuck to closing off their main creator Caicedo rather than being tempted to press the back line.
You must log in or register to see images
When Chelsea try to move through the centre, Sunderland smother it and have the chance to counter — but show crucial patience.
In the first frame, Isidor on the ball has the option of trying to turn and drive into the open space behind Chelsea’s back line, but spots Enzo Le Fee on the left…
You must log in or register to see images
Laying it off to Le Fee allows Sunderland attackers time to get forward, including Xhaka, who is only denied by a Josh Acheampong block. He also had the option to pass to Chemsdine Talbi, who has done well to get up the pitch and who Marc Cucurella is not tight to.
In that roughly 40-second snapshot, Sunderland showcase their defensive discipline, intelligence in build-up, and counter-attacking threat — none of which are new. Those same attributes have characterised their incredible start to the season.
Their summer investment is also paying off. Le Bris described Xhaka as “like a second coach on the pitch”, bringing experience to an otherwise young squad. Twenty-year-old Noah Sadiki, who joined from Union Saint-Gilloise, worked exceptionally hard in midfield. Lutsharel Geertruida, on his first start for the club, performed well, and Le Bris praised how the 25-year-old had “stayed positive” despite being lower down the pecking order.
“I’m happy for him, and happy for our finishers, and the players who are not so much involved so far,” Le Bris said.
Fittingly, the winner came from Le Bris’ faith in his summer signings. Geertruida picked out Brian Brobbey with a long ball, and he was given an inexplicably long time to hold up play in the box as his colleagues ran up to join him. He found fellow substitute Talbi, who slotted home.
Yes, the winner came from route one football. Yes, Chelsea should have put in a challenge, should have tracked Talbi, should have put the game to bed by following up on Garnacho’s opener. None of that will keep Le Bris or his players awake tonight. Instead, they will be remembering the roar of the away end, and the celebrations after the final whistle.
This win played out dramatically, but was built from the quiet competence, smart signings, and stellar game management that have made Sunderland this season’s surprise package.
You must log in or register to see images
You must log in or register to see images
By Cerys Jones and Anantaajith Raghuraman
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6750099/2025/10/26/sunderland-premier-league-chelsea/
