Sunderland 2-1

Independent:
Chelsea 2 Sunderland 1
Screaming suppressed as Sunderland suffer on Paolo Di Canio's debut

By SAM WALLACE

Paolo Di Canio jumped about in his technical area yesterday, animated and emotional from start to the finish.
He spoke furtively to his assistants with his hand covering his mouth as if there might be spies watching his every move. He wore a loud diamond-patterned sweater under a suit that would not look out of place on a Home Counties golf course.
But, by the end, Sunderland were only outside the relegation zone by virtue of goal difference after Wigan’s late equaliser at Loftus Road and their new manager has only six games to turn it around.
For a while the first-half display looked like it might be good enough for at least a point but, ultimately,  Chelsea did not have to play particularly well to win this game. The home side were sleepwalking through much of the first half, went in a goal behind and then won the match with two goals within 10 minutes of the start of the second half.
As for Di Canio, he was animated throughout, whispering into the ear of Craig Gardner at the end of the game with the kind of earnestness of a man passing on his dying wishes. Gardner, substituted in the 82nd minute, looked like he was just a little bit confused. Then Di Canio broke away to give Yossi Benayoun a hearty hand-clasp and man-hug.
If points could be earned for grimaces, shrugs and sheer volume of pointing, then Sunderland’s manager would be well on his way to leading his team to safety. As it is he got a  decent first-half performance out of them and then watched them fade away against a Chelsea side playing their third game at Stamford Bridge in the space of eight days.
Di Canio took his time arriving for his post-match press conference, having been through a full debrief with a team that have now taken three points from their last 27. It ended when he took exception to being asked why Chris Powell, whom he had cited last week as a character reference in the midst of the storm over his political views, had declined to vouch for the Italian’s character. A fair question, but Di Canio thinks it’s behind him now.
He was more interested in questioning the physical state of the team he inherited from Martin O’Neill. It was a problem compounded, he said, by losing Danny Graham to a knee injury, meaning Connor Wickham started in attack. “I’m not going to say they’re not fit,” Di Canio said, before adding: “It’s not the fittest team in the world. But we are going to work and give them more energy in the next few days and weeks.”
That could be difficult given that their potentially season-defining game against Newcastle at St James’ Park is coming on Sunday but then Di Canio is not short of confidence.
The biggest change from life at Swindon Town was that at Sunderland he was not always preparing a team, he said, with the expectation they would win the game. “But if you are a good manager, like I am, you can change,” he said.
Was he a good manager? “No,” he said. “I’m a very good manager.” The post-match was becoming another examination of the life and times of  Di Canio. He does not seem to mind.
“When you are a manager you’d like to be successful and receive respect from the others,” he said, when asked about how he would prefer to be perceived. “You can’t make everybody happy anyway. I’m Paolo Di Canio and I’m like how I am. There are quiet people and quiet managers, very noble persons. Today I was very calm because I saw my players playing very well. Maybe next time I won’t jump but I’ll scream more.”
If there was one saving grace in all this for Rafael Benitez it was that people seem to have forgotten about the animosity he has faced from the Chelsea fans. A lone “Rafa Out” banner still flaps on the home side of the Shed End but otherwise it was notably quiet in that respect yesterday as his side made it three wins in three since their defeat at Southampton.
The big concern for the Chelsea manager is the injury to Demba Ba which prevented him coming out for the second half, although it did mean that Fernando Torres was introduced to great effect. It was Torres’ run down the left two minutes after half-time that opened up Sunderland and allowed Oscar a shot on goal that was saved by Simon Mignolet and ricocheted in off Matthew Kilgallon.
The second Chelsea goal came on 55 minutes when Branislav Ivanovic reacted quickly to David Luiz’s shot from the edge of the area and re-directed it nicely with the inside of his boot, back to goal, past Mignolet.
Chelsea looked relatively comfortable after that although they were  fortunate that referee Neil Swarbrick did not make more of an elbow by Luiz on Wickham.
The first half was a different story, with Sunderland spirited and good going forward, especially in the move right from the back on 19 minutes when a Luiz free-kick was blocked. It led to Danny Rose carrying the ball forward and via Stéphane Sessègnon it reached Adam Johnson whose shot was blocked by Luiz, Chelsea’s best performer.
The Sunderland goal came just before half-time when John O’Shea got his head to a right-wing corner from Johnson and Cesar Azpilicueta shanked the ball into his own goal. Come the second half, Sunderland just could not stay the course and build on  their advantage.
Di Canio was asked afterwards about the description of him as “unlikeable” by David James, a former team-mate at West Ham, in his Sunday newspaper column. The answer was long and rambling but what Di Canio seemed to be saying is that everyone changes.
“We maintain the principles from when we’re young, but you change as a man, now as a manager,” he said.  “I respect everyone’s opinion. But it’s not an issue for me, to be honest. I respect your job. I respect my ex-team-mates. But I am sure about myself. If you ask me, I can answer. But if I have to answer every comment, we’ll be here all day.”
The new arrival was applauded by the travelling Sunderland support at the end, although there are those who have vowed to stay away. Di Canio’s feeling about those fans? “I’m sorry for them”.

Bookings: Sunderland Gardner, Rose
Man of the match Luiz
Match rating 6/10
Possession: Chelsea 62%. Sunderland 38%
Attempts on target: Chelsea 3. Sunderland 0
Referee N Swarbrick (Lancashire)
Attendance 41,500

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Guardian:

Chelsea recover to condemn Paolo Di Canio to losing Sunderland start
Dominic Fifield at Stamford Bridge

A week into the job and Paolo Di Canio has experienced first-hand just how cruel life can feel when you are overseeing a side apparently locked into a nosedive. Sunderland made Chelsea appear ordinary for long periods here and led the European champions for a while, even if any sense of ascendancy really extended only through the duration of the interval. By the end they had succumbed and, even with Wigan held elsewhere in west London, remain ensconced in the mire. The new manager had paced the touchline, lurching from animated encouragement to livid disapproval, but his enthusiasm will clearly be needed in the difficult weeks to come.
This was a mess of a game, the type that might normally have suited the visitors given the presumed gulf between the teams, though the lack of rhythm hampered as much as it hindered the side embroiled in the relegation scrap. Chelsea looked a squad whose onerous schedule is finally catching up on them, the hosts rather wheezing through a disjointed contest with their efforts undermined by fatigue, both mental and physical. Fernando Torres injected enough class and conviction to turn the tide upon his introduction at the break, and the decisive deflection count eventually turned in the home side's favour, but theirs was still a sense of relief at having edged through another awkward occasion.
Confronting a team under new stewardship is invariably tricky, so Rafael Benítez might have anticipated the slog into which the afternoon degenerated. Certainly the flair players upon whom the interim manager has relied recently, Juan Mata and Eden Hazard, found it far harder to wound resolute opponents, their impact largely suffocated by the muscular industry of Alfred N'Diaye and Craig Gardner's tigerish presence.
The latter might still count himself fortunate to have avoided harsher punishment for one wild tackle on Demba Ba, and for later connecting with David Luiz, though his 10th booking of the season will still rule him out of the derby against Newcastle and the confrontation with Everton. Ba could yet be out for longer having limped away with a damaged ankle. Chelsea will assess him on Monday.
There were other grounds for Sunderland encouragement, from Connor Wickham's selfless display as a lone forward capable of unsettling the likes of Branislav Ivanovic and David Luiz, to the spark provided by Stéphane Sessègnon. They had been spritely on the break when the hosts surrendered possession deep inside their own territory, hassled off their rhythm as they were, and industrious throughout. The work rate was feverish, the lead upon which they clung at the break well merited.
Wickham's shot had earned the corner from which they plundered. Adam Johnson's delivery was arced just beyond Petr Cech and was sliced into his own net by a panicked César Azpilicueta. The whistle sounded almost instantly for the teams to retire and, while the concourse bars filled up, the travelling support pinched themselves at the prospect of enjoying breathing space in the scrap near the foot.
Thereafter, reality quickly choked them again. Chelsea had lacked panache but, with Ba pained and withdrawn, they could at least turn to a forward revitalised in recent days. Torres had slipped back on to the bench here despite his fine showing against Rubin Kazan on Thursday, the Spaniard having revelled in the Europa League of late even if the rotation selection policy necessitated by a draining schedule had checked his momentum.
Unleashed for the second half, he was soon searing beyond Danny Rose in the opening exchange of the period to square for a marauding Oscar at his side. Sunderland were dishevelled, their rearguard pulled to pieces by the pace on the counter, with Simon Mignolet charging from his line to block. The loose ball cannoned from the goalkeeper's body and on to Matt Kilgallon to spin agonisingly into the net.
Rose had actually sprinted on to the line by then but lost his balance as the ball dribbled beyond him and into the corner. That rather summed up the visitors' luck. They were still attempting to recover some poise when, seven minutes later, Mata's corner was half-cleared by Wickham to David Luiz on the edge of the box. The Brazilian had time to compose himself before dragging a shot into the clutter in the penalty area, with Ivanovic reacting cutely to divert the attempt goalwards with the inside of his right boot. Mignolet, again wrong-footed, could not prevent it scuttling into the corner.
Sunderland's endeavour remained for the rest of the contest, but the opportunities never presented themselves for a team labouring outside the relegation zone now only on goal difference. Even Chelsea's sloppiness in possession provided little more than a half-chance for Johnson, who wriggled clear of Mikel John Obi to curl wide with Cech unperturbed. Di Canio could point to a lack of fitness, but this is a squad who must feel as if the world has turned against them. The Italian will need to be at his charming best to convince them all this can change, particularly with Wigan boasting the belief at the bottom.
Benítez, his own team now restored to third place with a third win in succession since that shoddy showing at Southampton the previous weekend, will hardly have time to catch his breath before his side depart for Moscow and Thursday's return leg against Rubin Kazan, but it said much that the level of discord at this club feels quelled. Their fixture list is providing a positive distraction and, while the wins are maintained, momentum is with them. Sunderland, in contrast, must generate some of their own if they, and Di Canio, are to escape.
Man of the match David Luiz (Chelsea)

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Telegraph:

Chelsea 2 Sunderland 1
Henry Winter

Paolo Di Canio’s body language reflected the rise and fall of his new team here. As Sunderland pressed and impressed in the first half, the Italian bounded about the dug-out like a well-dressed Tigger. Then the energy ebbed, the gesticulations became fewer, as the life faded from his players.
After all the controversy over his Fascist allegiances, Di Canio really needed a decent result. He emerged before kick-off to be greeted by a phalanx of photographers, a hug from John Terry and a brief chant of his name from the Sunderland faithful. The focus was on him, the pressure increased by the words from everyone from David Miliband to David James, from the Bishop of Durham to the Durham Miners’ Association.
The man in the eye of a storm had donned a club suit, albeit with the trousers too short. It was like his opening press conference; he did not cover everything. Under his jacket, Di Canio wore a knitted number of mauve, grey and purple which challenged Auroras Encore as the most spectacular jumper of the sporting weekend.
He enjoyed his team’s first-half ­display, all the hard work hustling the European champions out of their stride, and the swift counter-attacking, much of it revolving around the nimble figure of the excellent Stephane Sessegnon. Di Canio was so delighted that he playfully slapped Phil ­Bardsley twice in the face when the full-back came over to take a throw-in.
Bardsley, like John O’Shea, Sessegnon and Connor Wickham, were at the forefront of those responding with alacrity to Di Canio. He shouted encouragement frequently at ­Wickham. Such was the feeling of positivity in the Sunderland ranks that they pressurised Chelsea into conceding an own-goal through Cesar Azpilicueta. Yet they slowed in tempo and belief after the break. Di Canio even questioned their fitness afterwards, a claim that will infuriate the ousted Martin O’Neill.
Sunderland’s demise was rooted less in the tide of lactic acid flooding into their legs than in the adrenalin flowing more freely through Chelsea. Their appetite was quickened by Fernando Torres, who replaced the injured Demba Ba at the break. Torres seems a different character, more confident, more willing to take risks, to take defenders on.
Emboldened, Chelsea scored twice, through Matt Kilgallon’s own goal and Branislav Ivanovic’s flick, moving to third in the Premier League, gleefully overtaking Arsenal and Spurs on the way. So ended a highly satisfactory week at the Bridge for Rafa Benítez in three different competitions.
After such an intense schedule,Chelsea have a breather of sorts before the crazy calendar sends them flying out to Moscow to face Rubin Kazan in the Europa League on Thursday. They return for the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City at Wembley on Sunday. Then it is back to the race for a Champions League place against Fulham and Liverpool away.
Benítez had rotated again, making six changes. John Terry was on the bench, a reflection of his diminished status under Benítez. Luiz was at centre-half, soon venturing forward to take a free-kick that cannoned into the wall. Sunderland broke quickly, Sessegnon racing down the left before knocking the ball across to Adam Johnson, whose shot was blocked.
Sunderland’s energetic attempts at retrieving the ball occasionally strayed into excess. Craig Gardner dived in on Ba and was fortunate to receive only a yellow from Neil Swarbrick. Chelsea could not escape Sunderland’s relentless pressing in the first half. Juan Mata lost the ball to a combined ambush party of Alfred N’Diaye and Gardner. Luiz was hustled out of possession by N’Diaye.
Chelsea’s many attacking talents struggled to break through.
When Oscar crossed, Eden ­Hazard’s header was too weak to worry Simon Mignolet. Sunderland were the livelier. Sessegnon worked the ball neatly around John Obi Mikel, the move ending up with a shot from Wickham that deflected for a corner. Johnson curled the ball across, O’Shea flicked on and poor Azpilicueta endured one of those nightmare moments, slicing the ball past Petr Cech. Such an aberration cannot ruin the good impression Azpilicueta has made at right-back for Chelsea this season.
They responded well after the break. Maybe it was the sight of Clive Allen, who had a season here during his tour of the capital, being presented on the pitch at half-time that reminded his old team that the game’s currency is goals. Torres arrived, immediately cutting in at speed from the left and passing to Oscar. The Brazilian’s shot was saved by Mignolet but the ball rebounded on to Kilgallon and rolled almost sheepishly across the line.
Chelsea were as buoyant now as they had been flat in the first period and they soon took the lead. Luiz stroked the ball hard into a crowded area and there was Ivanovic flicking it past Mignolet. Ivanovic must be a fan of WWE as he ran away, doing the “You Can’t See Me” hand gesture across the face beloved of wrestler John Cena. Di Canio tried to regain the initiative, sending on first James McClean for Seb Larsson and then Jack Colback for Gardner but Sunderland could not break through. At the final whistle, Di Canio spent two minutes talking earnestly to Gardner before instructing the players to go across and acknowledge the fans.
In the press conference afterwards, Di Canio became slightly rattled when asked about his political beliefs, questions he has still to address properly and which will continue until he does. He insisted he wanted to focus on the football but yesterday brought mainly grim news on that front.
A few miles away, Shaun Maloney’s late equaliser at Queens Park Rangers means 18th-placed Wigan Athletic are behind Sunderland only on goal difference. With Newcastle United defeating Fulham, this was a particularly bad day for Sunderland. Next stop for Di Canio? St James’ Park.

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Mail:

Chelsea 2 Sunderland 1:
Di Canio suffers defeat in first match after two deflections rescue Blues' Champions League hopes
By MATT BARLOW

It was the day Paolo Di Canio discovered that his problems may go beyond the far right. Sunderland are not particularly strong on the left or in the middle either and they have slipped a little deeper into relegation peril.
Di Canio’s team went ahead at Stamford Bridge but not for long and Chelsea needed only a 10-minute burst of their best football, inspired by the half-time introduction of a rejuvenated Fernando Torres, to assert their quality.
Not that there was any enduring beauty in the goals. Cesar Azpilicueta beat his own goalkeeper to give Sunderland the lead and Matt Kilgallon stabbed the ball into his own net for the equaliser before Branislav Ivanovic won the game by diverting a low shot by David Luiz.
It was error-prone but having started a sequence of four games in nine days with defeat at Southampton, the Blues finished with a trio of home wins, easing back into the top three of the Barclays Premier League.
Only goal difference keeps Sunderland out of the drop zone, however, and their fixtures ahead have an ominous feel.
Any crumbs of encouragement Di Canio managed to snatch from his first game as a top-flight manager could at least be reinforced by the experience of Rafa Benitez, who was also appointed amid a storm of protest but is in the process of riding it out.
Many Chelsea fans will never accept Benitez but the end of his tenure is closing in and there were no howls of dissent at the Bridge on Sunday.
The interim manager has manoeuvred his team into a healthy league position and an FA Cup semi-final follows this week’s trip to Russia for the second leg of a Europa League quarter-final which they lead by two goals.
For the Blues, this win was vital. Benitez expects the scrap for the top four to go deep into next month and his squad took another blow when Demba Ba was forced off at half-time with an ankle injury suffered after a nasty tackle by Craig Gardner.
Torres replaced him and made a great impact but Benitez will not want another injury to a squad which has recently lost Ashley Cole and Gary Cahill.
If it goes on like this, he will have to play a settled team.
John Terry and Frank Lampard did not start on Sunday in what has become established as the Chelsea team for tougher games.
The energy and industry of Ramires coupled with the solid if immobile barrier of John Mikel Obi in the depths of midfield allow him to field the creative forces of Eden Hazard, Juan Mata and Oscar, without worrying about their defensive contributions.
They dominated a low-key opening half without injecting the urgency to concern Sunderland, who dropped readily to defend on the edge of the penalty box.
Chelsea’s problem was that they rarely looked like piercing this shield.
Referee Neil Swarbrick rejected a penalty shout against Kilgallon, who stuck out an arm as he leapt to keep the ball from Ba’s head.
But Chelsea remained vulnerable to the break and, moments before half-time, Sunderland burst out of defence and forced a corner.
John O’Shea leapt to glance the corner-kick towards goal and Azpilicueata got his feet in a tangle and sidefooted it past Petr Cech from close range. ‘Paolo Di Canio’ sang the away fans. The Durham miners don’t like him but the travelling male voice choir offered some support.
It has not always been the case but Chelsea supporters were pleased to see Torres in the second half, and, furthermore, he seemed pleased to be there.
Full of running, he supplied extra zip and a range of movement which created different tests for Di Canio’s team.
Almost instantly, Torres peeled left, collected a pass, turned to face Danny Rose and accelerated past him.
It unzipped the Sunderland defence and he rolled a square pass to Oscar, which led to the equaliser.
Simon Mignolet dashed from his line to block the ball at Oscar’s feet but it spun into Kilgallon as he ran back and kicked it into his own net.
Ten minutes into the second half, Chelsea took the lead. Azpilicueta’s shot clipped Kilgallon and flew over. Connor Wickham was unable to clear the corner and it dropped to Luiz, 25 yards from goal.
The Brazilian defender lashed it towards goal and Ivanovic wrong-footed Mignolet with a flick from somewhere near the penalty sport.
Chelsea closed out the win without fuss but for a flashpoint between Luiz and Wickham which enraged the England Under 21 striker, who claimed he had been elbowed in the face.

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Mirror:

Chelsea 2-1 Sunderland: Blues turn it around to beat Di Canio's Black Cats

Martin Lipton

No salutes from Paolo Di Canio at Stamford Bridge, “Roman” or otherwise.
Indeed, no grand gestures at all, completely subdued, even if the shadow of his past comments have not and will not go away.
But no points either, no “Paolo bounce”, no signs that gambling on a maverick will pull Sunderland to safety.
And while events at Loftus Road kept the Black Cats out of the drop zone, the margins are so fine, so parlous, that this may end up being viewed as a missed opportunity. If ever there was a day for Sunderland to pull off a result against the odds, this was it.
A new manager, with the boost that normally gives any team.
Chelsea, clearly leg-weary, playing their fourth game in nine days, with two huge tests to come in Moscow and at Wembley, running on empty, even if the sting has gone out of the anti-Rafa brigade.
And gifted the lead, on the stroke of half-time, by a horror show own goal from Cesar ­Azpilicueta. Yet the response, from the man in the dug-out and the men on the pitch, was non-existent, negligible.
After the match, the mask slipped, Di Canio banging the desk in annoyance at being informed of Loic Remy’s opener three miles away, upset when the weekend comments of David James and Chris Powell were put to him. Di Canio wants to be judged on performances and results but while he continues to run away from the other issues, aided and abetted by the club’s media team, they will not disappear.
Yet on the pitch it is just three points out of 27 and while Martin O’Neill (below) will carry the lion’s share of blame if the Black Cats fall through the exit door, Di Canio will be deemed complicit.
Maybe the Italian feared being at the centre of a circus – perhaps that might be a “circus maximus”?
Whatever the reason, Di Canio seemed overly cautious, reluctant to give free rein to the personality that was cited as the reason for his appointment in place of O’Neill.
Where the travelling Wearside fans were expecting a jack-in-a-box new manager, a man whose explosive temper would ignite his team, they saw inertia.
Di Canio never sat down, from first minute to last. But his most extravagant move was the hug with John Terry in the mouth of the tunnel before the start.
For most of the time, during a game that would have been a decent cure for sleeplessness but ended with Chelsea back in third, Di Canio simply stood, hands in his pockets.
There were a few restricted gestures, frustration being the dominant one as the game wore on, hands outstretched as he turned towards the bench, his chin gripped between thumb and forefinger.
Yet even when, with virtually the final kick of the first half, the Black Cats were handed the lead, Azpilicueta slicing through his own net when John O’Shea flicked on Adam Johnson’s corner, there was no visible sign of emotion.
That lead was a reward for organisation and commitment, embodied by Alfred N’Diaye.
But those qualities should be a given in a side fighting for their Premier League lives. Nor, in truth, was there a response when, two minutes after the restart, Matt Kilgallon watched in horror as the ball rebounded crazily off his leg and 14 yards into the net after Simon Mignolet saved from Oscar.
More crucially, as Chelsea, a different proposition once Fernando Torres replaced Demba Ba at the break, completed the transformation, Branislav Ivanovic’s heel-flick diverting home David Luiz’s drive, Di Canio was equally unconvincing.
It was more than a quarter of an hour before the first change, when James McClean replaced Seb Larsson, the game slipping away.
One shot, from distance and well wide, from Johnson represented the sum total of their threat, Chelsea more likely to score a third than Sunderland to grab an equaliser. At the end, Di Canio sought out Benitez for an embrace, clasped the hands of his players, waved and gave a thumbs-up signal to the travelling supporters.
“I was very calm because I saw the players playing very well,” said Di Canio. “Maybe next week I will be jumping and screaming. But I’m not worried.”
Perhaps he should be. No instant impact. Six weeks for survival. And nothing to suggest a momentum shift their way.

How they rated:
Chelsea: Cech 7, Azpilicueta 5, Ivanovic 7, Luiz 7, Bertrand 6, Ramires 6, Mikel 7, Oscar 6, Mata 6 (Lampard 89), Hazard 6 (Benayoun 84), Ba 5 (Torres 46, 8).

Sunderland: Mignolet 6, Bardsley 6, O’Shea 6, Kilgallon 5, Rose 5, Johnson 5, Gardner 6 (Colback 82), N’Diaye 7, Larsson 5 (McClean 71, 5), Sessegnon 5, Wickham 5.

Ref: Neil Swarbrick ATT: 41,500

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Sun:

Chelsea 2 Sunderland 1

Steven Howard

HE looked like a man who had been stiffed by a Roman salute.
Straight between the eyes. Not once but twice.
It wasn’t as if Paolo Di Canio hadn’t been kicked around enough all week.
But when the hypocritical English are on their high horse hunting down the fox — the unspeakable in full pursuit of the uneatable — there is precious little you can do about it.
So they had come to bury Di Canio, not to praise him.
And yet for 45 minutes, Sunderland were on top — only to be hit by the sort of misfortune no incoming boss either expects or deserves in his first game.
As it slowly began to dawn he would be leaving Stamford Bridge empty-handed, Di Canio cut a vulnerable figure on the touchline.
He hadn’t left the training ground before 11pm for six days. He also looked as if he hadn’t had a square meal in all that time.
Then he started fiddling with his tie.
First, he tightened it. Then he loosened it.
Then he tightened it some more, this time a little more ferociously than seemed advisable.
At one stage, you thought he might end it there and then.
But he still lived to fight another day. And what a day that will be at Newcastle on Sunday.
Whether he can guide the Black Shirts — sorry, Black Cats — out of a kamikaze dive that has see them land in the bottom four after picking up just THREE points out of 20 remains to be seen.
A bad day was compounded by Wigan’s last-second equaliser at QPR, a point that leaves both clubs on 31 points and with just Rangers and Reading below them.
At the other end of the table, Chelsea leap-frogged Tottenham and Arsenal to go third.
But it wasn’t a performance that will linger long in the memory. In fact, it was a tired display littered with mistakes that would have been punished by a better team than Sunderland.
And yet when the visitors took the lead on the stroke of half-time through Cesar Azpilicueta’s own goal — the Chelsea full-back seemingly incapable of either clearing or getting out of the way of a John 0’Shea header — a Di Canio-inspired revival suddenly seemed on the way.
In the end, though, it would only last two minutes.
Make that 17 minutes as shortly after Azpilicueta hooked O’Shea’s header into the back of his net the referee blew for half-time.
So the new Sunderland boss and the 2,000 fans who had followed the Mackems to London were able to dream a little longer of only Sunderland’s second win against Chelsea in 16 games.
And for Di Canio to become once again one of the Irriducibili — the undefeated.
Fate, though, wasn’t on his side yesterday. In fact, it was very much with Chelsea.
Within two minutes of the restart Rafa Benitez’s hosts were level with one of the more bizarre goals scored at Stamford Bridge this season.
Fernando Torres, on for the injured Demba Ba, came galloping in off the left flank like the Phantom of the Opera.
His control and body language looked so good that, coupled with the two goals the Spaniard had scored against Rubin Kazan three days earlier, you wondered whether it was actually him.
Perhaps, behind the mask, lurked someone else.
His cross found Oscar but that was where the intentional stuff ended.
Keeper Simon Mignolet was out quick enough to smother Oscar’s shot with his feet but, in doing so, the ball ricocheted away, struck the innocent Matt Kilgallon and spun over the line.
Di Canio would have been hoping that was the end of it. No chance.
Within seven minutes, Connor Wickham headed out a Chelsea corner only for David Luiz to send it back in again with a volley from the edge of the box.
The ball headed straight for Branislav Ivanovic who, with extreme dexterity, managed to divert it past Mignolet and into the corner of the net.
Either that or he got dead lucky. Take your pick.
And that was the sum total of Chelsea’s attacking endeavour. A quirky own goal and another effort that, on first viewing, was a brilliant finish and, on second viewing, pure chance.
But still good enough to take the Blues a step closer to the Champions League. It tells you all you need to know about the quality of the Premier League this season.
The only real point of interest was Di Canio.
Embraced by both John Terry and Benitez before kick-off — Benitez obviously delighted to have a manager even more under the cosh alongside him — Di Canio was off the bench and in his technical area after just 15 seconds.
He would remain there for the rest of the game.
While he wasn’t coaxing — and coaching — a performance out of 20-year-old striker Wickham, he was deep in conversation with his No 2 Fabricio Piccareta.
The pair of them know full well the task facing a side that has lost its last four away games and must now travel the short distance to St James’ Park on Sunday to try to belatedly turn the season around.
If Di Canio succeeds, they really will be saluting him.

STAR MAN — BRANISLAV IVANOVIC (Chelsea)

CHELSEA: Cech 7, Azpilicueta 7, Ivanovic 8, Luiz 7, Bertrand 6, Ramires 7, Mikel 8, Oscar 6, Mata 6 (Lampard 6), Hazard 6 (Benayoun 6), Ba 6 (Torres 8). Subs not used: Turnbull, Ferreira, Marin, Terry.
SUNDERLAND: Mignolet 6, Bardsley 7, Kilgallon 6, O’Shea 7, Rose 6, N’Diaye 6, Gardner 6 (Colback 5), Larsson 5 (McClean 5), Sessegnon 6, Johnson 6, Wickham 6. Subs not used: Westwood, Graham, Mangane, Mandron, Laidler. Booked: Gardner, Rose.
REF: N Swarbrick 6

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Express:

Spanish ice douses Italian fire
Tony Banks

Aside from all the furore about Paolo Di Canio’s first match in charge of Sunderland, this was a crucial match for Chelsea. Two victories in a week in knockout competitions had seen manager Rafa Benitez make the semi-finals of the FA Cup and put one foot in the last four of the Europa League after beating Manchester United and Rubin Kazan.
But a top-four place and Champions League football is the pulsing need that underpins everything Chelsea and Benitez are doing in these last two months of the season.
It is what Roman Abramovich wants more than anything, what he demands – especially with the desire now to bring Jose Mourinho back to the club as the successor to Benitez in the summer. Without Champions League football, that might not happen.
Arsenal’s success on Saturday had piled on the pressure as Chelsea kicked off this game in fifth place. Tottenham’s stumble against Everton yesterday helped. But the nerves were there at Stamford Bridge, especially after Cesar Azpilicueta’s own-goal gave Sunderland the lead.
But on came Fernando Torres to follow up his two-goal act against Rubin by setting up Oscar for the shot that produced the equaliser, and Branislav Ivanovic prodded in the winner.
So today, Benitez’s embattled team lie third before they head to Moscow on Thursday for the second leg of their quarter-final against Kazan and then on Sunday face Manchester City in the semi-final of the FA Cup at Wembley. There is no rest right now in this marathon slog of a season – but the results are coming. However, for Di Canio, defeat was damaging, possibly fatally for a team that have not won since Janaury 19.
Wigan’s incredible last-gasp equaliser at Queens Park Rangers left Sunderland ahead of the bottom three only on goal difference. Never mind the politics or the histrionics, the last six weeks of this season are going to be tense for the Wearside club simply on a footballing level.
Di Canio has been in charge at the Stadium of Light for just a week, with the word being he had worked very hard on fitness – something the controversial Italian was very hot on in his successful stint at Swindon.
And his team selection yesterday was typically idiosyncratic. He left his only fit and experienced striker, Danny Graham, on the bench, the Italian going with inexperienced Connor Wickham up front.
As a tactic, though, with the speedy Stephane Sessegnon playing just off the youngster and Sunderland pressing hard and breaking quickly, it had Chelsea flummoxed for 45 minutes.
Chelsea, in their fourth game in nine days and despite five changes made to the team by Benitez, simply could not get going.
Demba Ba saw his shot blocked and was then left hobbling by Craig Gardner’s challenge and then Juan Mata saw his header saved. But Sessegnon hit the side netting and the Black Cats were looking lively. On the stroke of half-time, Adam Johnson swung in a corner, John O’Shea flicked it on and Azpilicueta, trying to clear, only succeeded in blasting the ball into his own net.

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Star:

CHELSEA 2-SUNDERLAND 1: CHELSEA RUIN DI CANIO'S BIG DAY
By Adrian Kajumba

WELCOME back to the Premier League, Paolo!
Just in case Sunderland’s new boss Paolo Di Canio had forgotten about the harsh, brutal nature of top-flight life in his nine years away, there was a cruel reminder on his return yesterday.
An unlucky own-goal and a jammy Chelsea winner meant an encouraging performance on Di Canio’s Premier dugout debut ultimately counted for nothing.
And given their precarious position, and the fact that they have now gone nine games without a win, relegation-threatened Sunderland need points more than anything else.
You can guarantee there was not a shred of sympathy for the controversial Italian from rival boss Rafa Benitez, either.
His appointment as Chelsea manager is up there with Di Canio’s as the most controversial of the season, and he has his own battles to fight.
If he secures a top-four finish and some silverware it might be a tiny bit easier for his many critics to stomach.
Matt Kilgallon’s own-goal and Branislav Ivanovic’s strike, after Cesar Azpilicueta put through his own net, kept the Blues on course for the Champions League places.
And with Tottenham dropping points against Everton, the Blues climbed back above them and into third.
This was a rare occasion for Benitez when he was able to go about his business quietly while all the spotlight was on the opposition manager.
After all the talk about Di Canio’s views on race and politics since his appointment last weekend, nobody mentioned miracle worker.
Yet that’s exactly what he looked like based on Sunderland’s first-half display.
They looked transformed, from a side which previously seemed resigned to drifting towards relegation to one that all of a sudden had found some fight.
They showed more intent all over the pitch in the first 10 minutes than they did in the entire 90 minutes against Manchester United last time out, which turned out to be Martin O’Neill’s final game in charge, Stephane Sessegnon should have given Di Canio a dream start in the second minute.
But he could only fire into the side-netting after sneaking in behind the Blues defence.
Connor Wickham, who was handed a first league start since December, then dragged a shot wide after a run across the box.
Meanwhile, Benitez’s side looked flat.
It was their fourth game in nine days and they were disrupted by more changes.
There were another six from Thursday’s Europa League win against Rubin Kazan and the Blues started like strangers as they struggled to find any rhythm.
Demba Ba briefly got a glimpse of goal when David Luiz’s freekick deflected his way only for Kilgallon, in for the injured Titus Bramble, to deny him with a brilliant last-ditch block.
Luiz then had to race back to repel Adam Johnson’s curler as Sunderland launched a lightning quick break from Kilgallon’s challenge and carved Chelsea apart.
While Sunderland grew in confidence sloppy Chelsea kept giving the ball away.
And they were made to pay for their carelessness on the stroke of half-time.
Luiz deflected another Wickham corner John O’Shea’s flick on was turned into his own net by Azpilicueta.
Benitez threw on Fernando Torres for the totally ineffective Ba at the start of the second half and the Spaniard’s impact was as instant as Di Canio’s.
In his first involvement two minutes in, Torres picked the ball up down the left, burst past Danny Rose and teed up Oscar.
The Brazilian’s first touch was poor and heavy, allowing Simon Mignolet to smother but the ball cannoned into Kilgallon and dribbled in.
Sunderland were cursing their luck again in the 55th minute after the Blues’ winner.
Luiz’s volley was going wide until Ivanovic showed the instinct of a goal poacher to redirect it past Mignolet with a clever flick.
Chelsea were now purring and Oscar and Torres, twice, both went close to a third.
But their quickfire double at the start of the second half proved enough to ruin Di Canio’s comeback