Sunderland 5-1

Telegraph:

Chelsea 5 Sunderland 1: Stamford Bridge says 'goodbye' to John Terry as champions end season in style

Matt Law

John Terry got the send-off he wanted, Chelsea got their hands on the Premier League trophy and Thibaut Courtois and César Azpilicueta achieved their personal milestones. This was a day for those inside Stamford Bridge and to hell with the cynics outside.

Champions Chelsea comfortably secured a record 30th League win of the season against relegated Sunderland, but the game was largely a sideshow to the pre-planned party.

Sunderland goalkeeper Jordan Pickford agreed to punt the ball out of play in the 26th minute, so that Chelsea could form a guard of honour for their No 26, Terry, to be replaced by Gary Cahill.


Purists will still be complaining of the final game of the season descending into farce, but Chelsea’s supporters who hung banners that read ‘JT thank you for everything’ and ‘Captain, Leader, Legend’ loved every minute.

With 717 Chelsea appearances to his name and the chance to earn a 16th winners’ medal in next Saturday’s FA Cup final that he will most probably watch from the substitutes’ bench, Terry had earned the right to time his Stamford Bridge farewell just the way he wanted.


Having lifted the Premier League trophy with Cahill, Terry was given the microphone and it was no surprise that the tears flowed as he assured the Stamford Bridge faithful that, one day, he will be back.

“You’ve given me everything from day one, when I first started out,” said 36-year-old Terry, who had his wife Toni and his children on the pitch. “You picked me up when I was down, sung my name when I’ve had bad days and disappointed you as well.

“Thank you will never ever be enough, but I’ll tell you what: I’ll be back here one day. I’m going to be supporting the players and the club from the bottom of my heart. Thank you so much, I love you all.”

After Sunderland manager David Moyes had confirmed that Pickford had acted on the request of Diego Costa to kick the ball out and let Terry have his moment, Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte said: “I think this idea of all my players was a great way to commemorate an important career. The guy is a legend for this club, and one of the best defenders in the world. He deserved this. It was very important to find the right solution to celebrate a great champion and a great legend for this club. He wrote Chelsea’s history.


“I wish, for him and for his family, the best in the future. For me, for the club, it would be a great loss next season without him. He helped me a lot this season, on and off the pitch. And now we must respect his decision.”

What was not in the script for what turned into a perfect day for Chelsea was Sunderland taking a shock lead in just the third minute, courtesy of Javier Manquillo. But the home side quickly hit back through Willian before Terry went off and then coasted to victory with second-half goals from Eden Hazard, his replacement Pedro and two from substitute Michy Batshuayi. Azpilicueta completed 90 minutes, which meant the defender played every minute of every Premier League game for the champions, and Courtois won the Golden Glove award.

The only moments the celebratory atmosphere was briefly interrupted surrounded Costa. He was booked after elbowing John O’Shea and then holding his own face, and was clearly annoyed when Conte decided to replace him with Batshuayi with half-an-hour remaining.


Costa waved to each side of Stamford Bridge as he left the pitch and it remains to be seen whether or not the gesture was intended as a goodbye of his own.

Having calmed down, Costa was soon smiling again as he threw nuts at team-mates on the bench and tipped water over Carlo Cudicini. Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich even got carried away with the carnival feel and joined in with a chorus of ‘Antonio’ at the final whistle.


“A lot of emotions today,” said Conte. “I think it’s great to finish the season this way, to celebrate a fantastic season. We won the League with 30 wins, which is very positive for us. Honestly, it was very difficult to imagine this, to be celebrating winning the League, but it happened. It happened only because we worked very hard.”

Rather than travelling back with his squad, Moyes was due to stay in London for a meeting with Sunderland owner Ellis Short on Monday and was non-committal on his future.

“I’m gutted we’ve been relegated, really disappointed the way the season’s gone,” said Moyes. “But you know? What do you do? Football has winners and it has people who lose. Look at Chelsea. They’re winning today. I hope in the future we’re involved in something similar.”



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Mail:


Chelsea 5-1 Sunderland: Champions fight back to show class in emphatic win and give John Terry fitting send off as club legend is given guard of honour in 26th minute


By Sami Mokbel for the Daily Mail

On his final appearance at Stamford Bridge, John Terry divided opinion. No shock there then.

With the Premier League title already in the bag, this was always going to be Terry’s day.

But on his Stamford Bridge farewell, Chelsea’s captain had a final trick up his sleeve.

The fact he started the game was a surprise in itself, but what followed took the biscuit. The smart money was on Terry saying an emotional goodbye at some point in the second half.

So you can imagine the surprise when Chelsea’s No 26 was substituted in the 26th minute. It was certainly inventive: Terry is thought to have devised the ploy with the approval of his manager, Antonio Conte.

Whether it was in keeping with the values of English football is certainly worth debating.

Over-indulgent? Perhaps. Over-sentimental? Maybe. Farcical? Probably.


Indeed, the backlash on social media was overwhelming: critics pointed to the fact that on the day Chelsea were lifting the Premier League trophy, Terry made it all about him. This should have been the team’s celebration, not Terry’s. But after 717 appearances, who would begrudge the 36-year-old his day?

Terry will argue his right to dictate his own goodbye, particularly in a match that, with the Premier League won and relegation determined, was tantamount to a friendly. Similarly, Chelsea had earned the right to bid farewell to their long-serving captain any way they saw fit.

Terry was embraced by every single one of his team-mates before sauntering off to a guard of honour. The Stamford Bridge crowd were just as intent on showing their gratitude.

Terry looked close to tears. His wife, Toni, was not as successful in her attempts to prevent herself from crying. Don’t worry, Mrs Terry — you weren’t the only one.

After the game, microphone in hand, Terry finally cracked during the trophy ceremony, breaking down as he thanked everyone from his team-mates to the club’s super-rich owner, Roman Abramovich.

‘Thank you will never ever be enough, but I’ll tell you what: I’ll be back here one day,’ said Terry. ‘I’m going to be supporting the players and the club from the bottom of my heart. Thank you so much, I love you all.’


The day had gone according to Terry’s plan: sun, smiles, tears, trophies and — of course — the strangest substitution you will ever see.

Terry, of course, could still be afforded one last hurrah in next week’s FA Cup final against Arsenal.

The probability of him starting at Wembley is virtually non-existent.

Nonetheless, you would not bet against Terry having a 16th winners’ medal by Saturday night. Conte will do all he can to ensure Terry goes out on another high, the Italian’s team selection against Sunderland pointing towards next week’s Wembley showpiece. But for the inclusions of Willian, Cesc Fabregas and Terry Chelsea were at full strength as their manager looked to maintain his team’s title winning momentum.

Was it a risk? Yes. Did it pay off? Of course. Everything Conte’s touched has turned to gold this season.

There was a slight dip en route to their 30th league win of the season as Javi Manquillo gave relegated Sunderland a shock third-minute lead, thumping past Thibaut Courtois after Sebastian Larsson’s free-kick ricocheted off the Chelsea wall.


But on a day like this there was only ever going to be one outcome. Willian levelled for the champions five minutes later, benefiting from a Jordan Pickford mistake as the Brazilian’s firm effort squirmed through the Sunderland goalkeeper’s grasp.

It took 52 minutes for Chelsea to go ahead. Aptly, it was Eden Hazard — whose resurgence this season has been one of the keys behind the club’s title triumph — who scored the goal — firing an unerring angled strike past Pickford.

The floodgates were open. Pedro nodded into an empty net after a mix-up between Pickford and Joleon Lescott before Michy Batshauyi scored twice in the closing minutes to make it 5-1.

But the result was merely a side-show here. Chelsea fans came for the party. After the final whistle, they got what they came for. As did Terry.


CHELSEA (3-4-3): Courtois 6; Azpilicueta 7, Luiz 7, Terry 6.5 (Cahill 28, 7); Moses 7, Kante 7.5, Fabregas 7.5, Alonso 7; Willian 7.5, Costa 7 (Batshuayi 61, 8), Hazard 8.5 (Pedro 70 7.5). Begovic, Zouma, Matic, Chalobah. Booked: Costa

Conte: 8

SUNDERLAND (5-3-2): Pickford 5; Jones 5, O’Shea 5, Lescott 5; Manquillo 6, Larsson 5, Cattermole 5 (Gibson 87), Rodwell 6, Oviedo 5; Januzaj 5 (Gooch 61, 5), Borini 5. Subs: Mannone, Love, Asoro, Maja, Embleton. Booked: Jones

Moyes: 5

Ref: Neil Swarbrick - 6.5


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Independent:


John Terry bids emotional farewell as champions Chelsea hammer relegated Sunderland

Chelsea 5 Sunderland 1: The captain received a guard of honour after being substituted in the 26th-minute

Miguel Delaney Stamford Bridge


It was a day that was more a prize-giving and a leaving do than a football match, and that was made all too clear when John Terry went off for his farewell in the 26th minute, but Chelsea at least completed the formality - for that is what it is against Sunderland - of winning the game. In that, they actually broke a Premier League record with this 5-1 by becoming the first side to win 30 games in a season, and set themselves up for next Saturday’s FA Cup final against Arsenal.

The winner in Antonio Conte will be pleased at that, the club icon in Terry was meanwhile delighted with his farewell.

The outgoing Chelsea captain might be considered one of the last of an old-fashioned breed of centre-halves, but his last act at Stamford Bridge as a player felt very ‘modern football’. In the 26th minute of the game, with the moment of course picked to acknowledge his shirt number, Terry was taken off for Gary Cahill so that he could bask in the crowd’s full acclaim. The supporters already had a huge banner saying ‘thank you for everything’ before the game, and there was even a makeshift guard of honour, as he got hearty hugs from so many teammates and his manager Conte.

It was obviously a nicely touching moment for Terry and all at Chelsea, but it was a slightly odd one from a football perspective, as a lot of the Sunderland players just looked on in the middle of what was notionally a competitive match. Some of those Sunderland players will have seen this before, mind, given that they happened to be the opposition the last time Chelsea did this - for Didier Drogba - at the end of the 2014-15 season.

Those at Chelsea say this was the idea of Terry himself, and that Conte was happy to go along with it. The crowd were more than happy to go along with it and, for all people might quibble with the moment, it would be difficult to be churlish about the gusty and very loud cheer the captain received.

There can be no doubting his legacy or status here.

In terms of the actual football, it was Sunderland who were cheering first, as Javier Manquillo lashed them into the lead after just three minutes. He found himself completely free at the edge of the box when a set-piece bounced towards him and, although Terry was actually the closest man, it was not his fault as the right-back powered the ball high into the net past Thibaut Courtois.

Sunderland were at that point looking quite vibrant and lively, and long way from the moribund side that got them relegated and could well get David Moyes out of the job, but - like their season - that challenge didn’t last long.

With a side that is likely to be very close to their FA Cup final XI, Chelsea soon began to overwhelm Sunderland, the equaliser almost came through sheer force of numbers. Marcos Alonso hit the bar with a brilliant free-kick and, after the scramble that followed, the ball eventually came out to Willian who rifled it past Jordan Pickford.

Full service was restored on the hour, as Eden Hazard scored a goal of arguably even greater quality, to make it 2-1. He powered it past Pickford, after some fine hold-up play by Diego Costa.

The Spanish international eventually went off for title-winning hero Michy Batshuayi, to a lot of cheers and a few plaintive looks, and it remains to be seen whether this will be Costa’s last game at Stamford Bridge too.

It was not the last goal of the game, nor the last moment of calamity in Sunderland’s pitiful season. On 79 minutes, Joleon Lescott attempted to head the ball back to Pickford, only for the ball to loop awkwardly to the side. Pedro was running in to easily nod it home.

Batshuayi himself then put a proper polish on the match, and turned it into a proper hammering for Sunderland, as he scored twice in stoppage time to make it 5-1.

Chelsea now look to the double, but Stamford Bridge was on this day most looking at one man.



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Guardian:

Chelsea dispatch Sunderland in style to bid John Terry a fond farewell

Chelsea 5 - 1 Sunderland


Dominic Fifield at Stamford Bridge


In the context of a glorious campaign and a glittering career it was hard to begrudge Chelsea and their departing captain all the pomp and circumstance. Passages of this occasion were heavily choreographed, from John Terry’s substitution as the clocks on the big screens at either end of the arena displayed 26 minutes to the post-match hoisting of the Premier League trophy. Others, like Sunderland’s utter capitulation, might as well have been. Throw in a golden glove for Thibaut Courtois and this was as close to the perfect afternoon as the locals could ever have envisaged.

It has been an exemplary season. Each of Chelsea’s champions was cheered as he stepped forward on to the plinth, erected on the centre-spot here, to be rewarded for a year when everyone at this club has bought into the manager’s mantra of “work, work, work”. Antonio Conte was hidden at the back of the throng, stage right, when Gary Cahill and Terry finally hoisted the trophy and the pyrotechnics, streamers and ticker tape exploded all around. It is not his style to hog the limelight, even if the players soon sought him out. The champagne sprayed thereafter probably ruined the Italian’s second suit of the day given he had already been drenched, albeit largely in energy drinks and water, at the final whistle.

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the afternoon was that Terry, a player who has always worn his heart on his sleeve, kept it together until well over half an hour after the final whistle and they had finished playing the montage of his greatest moments. He finally cracked when he had the microphone in hand and, with the home support hanging on his every word, was addressing “one of the most difficult days of my life”. He offered thanks to those he has worked under and with and to Roman Abramovich, up in his box, who “really cares about this football club from the under-8s to the first team”.

The sight of his wife and children in tears finally pushed him over the edge, the speech rather stumbling as he faced those up in the Matthew Harding stand. “Lastly, you guys the fans, the best supporters in the world without a shadow of a doubt,” he said. “You’ve given me everything from the age of 17 when I first started out. You picked me up when I was down, sung my name when I’ve had bad days and disappointed you as well. [Saying] thank you will never ever be enough but I tell you: I’ll be back here one day. I’m going to be supporting the players and the club from the bottom of my heart. I love you all.” Thank you and goodnight.


The farewell ceremony had in effect begun far earlier in the afternoon when, at about 3.26pm, Conte delivered a nod and a wink from the sidelines, Diego Costa passed on the message to a pre-warned Jordan Pickford, and the goalkeeper obligingly sliced the ball out of play. The fourth official duly lifted the substitutes’ board and Terry’s time, as well as his number, was up. There were hand claps and hugs with all his team-mates, with the Chelsea players meandering over to the touchline to form a guard of honour for the departing captain. By the time Terry actually made it off the pitch, via a ceremonial transfer of the armband to Cahill, the game was closer to 29 minutes old.

David Moyes later admitted Sunderland had been aware of the plan and did not seem offended that a Premier League contest had descended into stage-managed sentimentality. It was not as if Chelsea were setting a precedent. This was Terry’s 717th appearance for this club, 580th as captain, and 345th and last at Stamford Bridge, with 15 major trophies claimed over 22 years on the books. The club may never see his like again. If anything had rested on the game, then it might have been less appropriate. Yet Chelsea are champions and Sunderland had long since been condemned. The locals would not have had it any other way.

In truth the whole occasion was always more celebration than contest. The visitors had joined in themselves for a while, thankful a miserable season was finally drawing to a conclusion. Javier Manquillo had volleyed them into an early lead while Terry was still on the pitch, though they were never likely to end life in the top flight on a rare high. Willian, belting a shot through Pickford after Marcos Alonso had struck the angle of post and bar with a free-kick, swiftly drew Chelsea level before Sunderland wilted completely in the final half-hour.

Eden Hazard scythed the champions ahead, then, with the visitors broken, Cesc Fàbregas’ pass was nodded over the on-rushing goalkeeper by Joleon Lescott with Pedro sprinting on to the loose ball to head into the unguarded net. The concession was farcical and the substitute Michy Batshuayi was then permitted to add his own brace in the dying moments.

Moyes is due to meet the Sunderland owner, Ellis Short, at his Chelsea home on Monday with his own future as manager up for discussion. His tenure has been traumatic to date.

“I’m gutted we’ve been relegated and really disappointed with the way the season has gone,” he said. “But what do you do? Football has winners and there are people who lose.”

Chelsea, with the FA Cup final still to come, fall into the former bracket. There were other departures to note here, with Steve Holland serenaded by the crowd and thanked publicly by Terry as he leaves to join Gareth Southgate’s England staff on a full-time basis. Costa, too, had made a point of waving to all sides of the arena, fuelling suggestions his three-year stint at the club could also be over. The Brazilian spent the last half-hour mucking about on the bench, squirting the coaching staff with bottles of water and frantically signalling to Courtois that Hugo Lloris had conceded at Hull to ensure the Belgian’s 16 clean sheets could not be caught. This was Chelsea demob happy. They had earned their delight.