sunderland 0-3

Independent:

Chelsea humiliated at home as makeshift side exposed by bold Bruce
Chelsea 0 Sunderland 3

By Sam Wallace

If the dismissal of Ray Wilkins last week was intended to show that Chelsea are still a ruthless, single-minded machine whose simple focus is upon winning football matches then unfortunately someone seems to have forgotten to tell Carlo Ancelotti's players.
They were swept aside yesterday as brutally as they dismissed their affable assistant manager and former player last week. A case of bad karma? Rather, it was a case of terrible defending by a makeshift Chelsea back four and the champions lacking the kind of momentum to make any impression.
Even amid the results of another surprising weekend in an unpredictable Premier League season, there are certain things you think you can rely upon. Chief among them is Chelsea winning at home in the League. The scale of Sunderland's victory can be explained thus: this was Chelsea's heaviest Premier League home defeat since Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003.
For Ancelotti, this result can hardly be described as a crisis with his team still top of the Premier League but, after defeat at Liverpool last week, it did offer a dark warning of what this Chelsea team might look like if the wheels come off. Ashley Cole was all over the place – his wayward back pass gifted the third goal – and Ramires was so poor that his substitution drew the biggest cheer of the day.
Ancelotti needs the likes of Frank Lampard, Michael Essien and John Terry – a late withdrawal yesterday – back in the side as soon as possible. The smart money would say that when injuries heal and suspensions end, these two defeats will be regarded as blips on the season. Even so, there is no denying it has been a dreadful eight days for Chelsea.
The sacking of Wilkins is unquantifiable when it comes to results such as these but in the light of yesterday it does look as if it has rocked the boat unnecessarily. "Everyone is sad to see him go," wrote Terry in programme notes that were only just on-message. "Ray's been brilliant since he came in ... not only as a coach but as a man as well."
That said, there would not have been much even Wilkins could have done yesterday other than pat Ancelotti on the back and commiserate that sometimes you have days likes these. The last time Chelsea suffered a defeat as heavy as this in the League at home was to Manchester United in April 2002, some time before they were established as one of the European elite.
It could have been much worse for them if, as he should have been, Branislav Ivanovic had been sent off for tripping up the excellent Danny Welbeck as he bore down on the penalty area on 40 minutes. There was no final defender between the Sunderland striker and goal, and Ivanovic was fortunate to receive only a yellow card.
The central defensive partnership between Ivanovic and Paulo Ferreira was a disaster and why the Portuguese full-back was preferred to Jeffrey Bruma is a mystery. Ancelotti said he had "confidence" in Ferreira after watching him train – presumably that faith has since expired.
In all this, it should not be forgotten that Sunderland weighed in with a magnificent performance in a fixture in which they shipped seven goals last season. They pulled Chelsea apart with the kind of one-touch passing that Ancelotti's team have trade-marked. Above all, Welbeck lived up to the billing that Sir Alex Ferguson gave him when he tipped the 19-year-old to make the England squad for the last World Cup.
In the stands, Fabio Capello may have regretted leaving Welbeck in the Under-21s and he might also wonder, given the lack of available right-backs, why he left out Nedum Onuoha. On loan from Manchester City, Onuoha went around John Obi Mikel, Jose Bosingwa and Ivanovic before beating Petr Cech for the first goal.
Two weeks on from that crushing 5-1 defeat to Newcastle United, Steve Bruce's team find themselves in a very different mood and sixth in the Premier League. Their manager deserves much of the credit for an approach which he summarised thus "Sod it, let's have a go" – the philosophy behind playing two strikers in attack rather than the one opposition teams usually deploy at Stamford Bridge.
Bruce's reasoning was that so many teams come to Chelsea in fear of, as Bruce said, a "humiliation", that the home side have forgotten what it is like to play against two strikers. But for the plan to work you need two very good strikers and Welbeck and Asamoah Gyan filled those roles. The second goal was a beauty: from Bolo Zenden to Welbeck and Jordan Henderson, who played in Gyan on goal to score.
Cole had looked out-of-sorts all day and may be carrying an injury but he has not made a mistake like yesterday's since he gave the ball away for England against Kazakhstan two years ago. With three minutes remaining, he passed the ball back to Cech without looking and Welbeck moved in to score Sunderland's third.
Understandably, Didier Drogba did not look his best, although Ancelotti chose to replace Florent Malouda instead – a decision booed by the home fans. It all went wrong for the Chelsea manager and he will hope to forget yesterday in a hurry. Wilkins could tell him, however, that there are certain people at Chelsea who have much longer memories when it comes to remembering the bad days.

Match facts
Man of the match Welbeck Match rating 8/10
Possession Chelsea 47% Sunderland 53%
Shots on target Chelsea 7 Sunderland 9
Referee C Foy (Lancashire) Attendance 41,072

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Mail:
Chelsea 0 Sunderland 3:

Black Cats spring surprise of the season with stunning win at Stamford Bridge to dent leaders

Matt Barlow

Strange goings-on at the top of the Barclays Premier League and never before has Ray Wilkins looked like such a tactical genius. Chelsea were destroyed by Sunderland, plain and simple. Nedum Onuoha, Asamoah Gyan and Danny Welbeck scored the goals and it would have been several more but for the brilliance of Petr Cech. Craig Gordon, meanwhile, barely had to make a save.
Steve Bruce deserves credit for storming Stamford Bridge and moving up to sixth a fortnight after humiliation in Newcastle, but it is Carlo Ancelotti's season teetering. The shock sacking of Wilkins last week, after a win over Fulham, may have had little technical impact on this defeat - the absence of John Terry, Frank Lampard and Michael Essien was a far bigger factor - but it rocked a club who were making serene progress at the top of the table. Manager Ancelotti opposed the move and captain Terry was upset, devoting a third of his programme notes to his sadness at 'an unexpected decision'. 'Ray was a great person to have around,' said Terry. 'He would pick you up when you were down.'
In which case, he will be missed this week. Chelsea have not been thrashed this soundly at home since Roman Abramovich bought the club. The last time was a 3-0 loss to Manchester United in April 2002.
Luckily for Ancelotti, Abramovich was absent. The Chelsea boss, a Double winner in his first season at the club, was jeered by the home crowd for taking off Florent Malouda, but cheered for removing Ramires 11 minutes later. The £18million Brazilian is not quite up to the pace of the English game. A win would have eased Chelsea five points clear of Arsenal at the top, but Sunderland fancied their chances of an upset against a skinny squad, with Ramires, John Obi Mikel and Yury Zhirkov starting in midfield. The trio who began the defeat at Liverpool a week earlier lacked the resonance of Lampard, Essien and Michael Ballack. Terry pulled out hours before kick-off, after a nagging sciatic nerve problem flared up on Saturday and worsened overnight. With Alex also injured, Ancelotti overlooked teenage centre half Jeffrey Bruma and paired full back Paulo Ferreira with Branislav Ivanovic. Last time they played together, they conceded three in a Carling Cup defeat at Blackburn. Yesterday they were torn to shreds by Welbeck, Gyan and Sunderland's midfield movement. Ivanovic's normal consistency evaporated and he was lucky not to be sent off for a cynical foul on Welbeck.
In recent years, when Chelsea have slipped, big personalities have saved the day. They were missing here, with Didier Drogba out of sorts after a bout of malaria. Sunderland were without Darren Bent, but seized the chance to dominate the champions. Cech made two terrific first-half saves from Welbeck within minutes. The first was exceptional, a strong left hand to a header from Onuoha's cross. He then spread his body to block a shot after Welbeck had raced on to Gyan's pass. Then came a double save. Cech denied Gyan in a one-on-one, then scrambled to block Kieran Richardson's attempt to squeeze the rebound in from a narrow angle.
No-one had got past him in the Premier League at the Bridge since John Carew's consolation during Aston Villa's 7-1 defeat in March. The shut-out had reached 916 minutes when Sunderland right back Onuoha, on loan from Manchester City, collected a clearance and danced past feeble challenges from Mikel, Jose Bosingwa and Ivanovic for a cool finish. Gyan scored the second soon after the break. His clinical finish matched the sweetest of passing moves, with the defence-splitter coming from Jordan Henderson, in a fine display for Fabio Capello ahead of his first England game.At a glance, there was little to satisfy Capello yesterday, with Terry forced out, still no Lampard, and Ashley Cole hobbling on his troublesome ankle before a lapse that gifted Welbeck the killer third in the 87th minute. But seven Englishmen started for Sunderland. Henderson, Richardson and Lee Cattermole were impressive. Titus Bramble, Michael Turner and Onuoha were solid in defence, as they were at Tottenham in midweek. Above all, Welbeck looked fresh and dangerous. With English strikers an endangered species, Capello could do worse than promote the teenager, on loan from Manchester United, from the Under 21 squad. Welbeck's first goal for Sunderland was simple, as Cole's pass to Cech went straight to him. Bruce's team pushed for more. Cattermole went close and it was Chelsea who were grateful for the final whistle.

MATCH FACTS
Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech 7; Bosingwa 6, Ferreira 5, Ivanovic 5, Cole 6; Ramires 4 (McEachran 69min, 6), Mikel 6, Zhirkov 5 (Kakuta 76); Anelka 6, Drogba 6, Malouda 6 (Kalou 58, 5). Subs not used: Turnbull, Van Aanholt, Bruma, Sala. Booked: Ivanovic.

Sunderland (4-4-1-1): Gordon 7; Onuoha 8, Turner 7, Bramble 7, Bardsley 6; Richardson 6, Henderson 7, Cattermole 7 (Riveros 90), Zenden 7; Welbeck 9 (Elmohamady 90); Gyan 8 (Malbranque 83). Subs not used: Mignolet, Angeleri, Da Silva, Adams. Booked: Turner, Bramble. Scorers: Onuoha 45, Gyan 52, Welbeck 87.
Man of the match: Danny Welbeck.
Referee: Chris Foy 6.
Attendance: 41,072.

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Guardian:

Sunderland barrage destroys Chelsea
Chelsea 0 Sunderland 3 Onuoha 45, Gyan 52, Welbeck 87

Kevin McCarra

The shock must have been even greater than the shame. Chelsea are now suffering from an overload of disbelief. This, after all, was the first away victory of the season for opponents who were swamped 5-1 at Newcastle United a couple of weeks ago. Before anyone dwells on Chelsea's defects and mistakes it should be emphasised that Sunderland performed to a high standard, with a sharpness of passing and movement that distressed the losers.
Chelsea were disadvantaged by the absence of Alex and John Terry, who were, respectively, ruled out by a knee injury and a recurring nerve problem, but that does not amount to an explanation for the sluggish blandness. It felt as if the 28 goals previously amassed in the Premier League must have been the work of an entirely different batch of players.
The plain fact may be that there is less depth to Carlo Ancelotti's means than is supposed. With Ramires yet to make an impression since his £18m move from Benfica, Chelsea cannot avoid seeming depleted when Michael Essien and Frank Lampard are unavailable. Few had envisaged that Sunderland would appear the club of lavish means. They enjoyed excellent contributions from Nedum Onuoha and the devastating Danny Welbeck, who are on loan from Manchester City and Manchester United.
There was a verve and confidence about them and others that was not echoed anywhere in the Chelsea ranks. The closing goal of the afternoon epitomised the difficulty they had even to get within reach of competence. Ashley Cole's attempt to find his goalkeeper Petr Cech in the 87th minute instead invited Welbeck to score his first goal for the club. Once Chelsea get over the ignominy of it all they can start to wonder how they will guard their two-point lead in the table.
There is a jaded air about them and the loss at Liverpool last weekend was followed merely by a trying 1-0 win over Fulham at home. There was to be virtually no reaction once Sunderland assumed an overdue lead. Ancelotti's men's last loss here in the Premier League was a 4-2 beating by Manchester City in February and it is true that Chelsea did not allow themselves to be distracted as they went on to win the title.
It will take real persuasiveness to convince onlookers that such momentum will be re-established. The side is missing people like Terry and Lampard because, to some extent, the defender and the midfielder are hampered by wear and tear. The captain is not quite 30 yet but his body has sustained the degree of damage associated with a veteran. The whole line-up was to be affected by a power cut against Sunderland.
There was also a thought-provoking aspect to the game in the boldness shown by opponents who had two outright attackers and plenty of adventure from midfield. Steve Bruce's plan was pragmatic in its own way since the intention was to apply a stress that would make Chelsea buckle. Others will take note of the manager's scheme and ask themselves whether their squad might be capable of copying it.
The opener felt like a barrage. Cech saved first from Asamoah Gyan, after a cross from Welbeck, before denying Kieran Richardson. Nedum Onuoha, however, maintained the onslaught, going past Mikel John Obi and José Bosingwa before shooting home, with Branislav Ivanovic too late to intervene.
Chelsea had gone 916 minutes at home in the League without losing a goal, but others were inevitable here. Ivanovic, may have been lucky to receive a yellow card from the referee, Chris Foy, rather than a red when hauling down Welbeck five minutes from half-time.
The lead was extended in an entrancing manner in the 52nd minute. Welbeck combined with Jordan Henderson, who may make his England debut on Wednesday, and Gyan, a £13m signing from Rennes in the summer, converted the chance with complete confidence. Such composure was scarcely a surprise from a man who now has four goals from his last three matches.
It was a weekend when Arsenal were the one member of the top four to win. That does reinforce the suspicion of decline amongst the prominent clubs. Arsène Wenger's team are an exception since it will be almost impossible for them not to improve in view of the comparative youth in the line-up. Conversely, a lack of knowhow contributed to League defeats by West Bromwich Albion and Newcastle at the Emirates.
The evidence is, of course, mixed, with all four of England's representatives at the head of their Champions League groups. If the standard of opponent is less high on the domestic front, it may still be because there is a frenzy there that can be debilitating. Chelsea, at least, were weary and despondent long before the close.


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Sun:

Chelsea 0 Sunderland 3
By SHAUN CUSTIS

RAY WILKINS is too much of a gentleman to revel in this astonishing Chelsea drubbing. But for the rest of us on the outside looking in, there was an overwhelming feeling that the Blues got exactly what they deserved for having ruthlessly dumped their popular assistant manager last week.
The decision has done nothing for dressing-room harmony.
And it is no exaggeration to say that Audley Harrison put up more of a fight than Chelsea did.
The Blues had a 100 per cent home league record before yesterday, six wins out of six.
But the roof caved in as they suffered their biggest home league defeat since being beaten 3-0 by Manchester United in April 2002, before even Roman Abramovich took over.
These were also the first league goals conceded at Stamford Bridge since John Carew scored for Aston Villa last March and their first home defeat in the top flight since being beaten 4-2 by Manchester City nine months ago.
It was not the start promoted coach Paul Clement would have wanted as he stood by Carlo Ancelotti's side instead of Wilkins.
Ancelotti says he had a squad good enough to win the title and that when key players were missing, they had the quality in depth to cope.
He must be joking.
Chelsea were without their first-choice central defensive partnership of Alex and John Terry, the skipper having pulled out with a sciatic nerve problem. In midfield there was no Michael Essien or Frank Lampard.
In the middle of the back four, Paulo Ferreira and Branislav Ivanovic were pulled to pieces by the terrific twosome of Ghanaian star Asamoah Gyan and on-loan Manchester United striker Danny Welbeck.
In midfield for Chelsea, £18m Brazilian Ramires was woeful.
Sunderland were hammered 5-1 at Newcastle only a fortnight ago and back in January conceded seven in the corresponding fixture.
No one saw this coming, especially not the bookies, who rated Sunderland's chances of winning by this score at 250-1.
But Steve Bruce's side deserved it - make no mistake - and Petr Cech also had to make a number of cracking saves.
His stop to keep out 19-year-old Welbeck's header on 36 minutes was top drawer.
Then Gyan played a ball over Ferreira's head and Cech saved with his outstretched right foot from Welbeck again.
Sunderland kept on coming and Ivanovic was lucky to get only a yellow after tripping Welbeck as he raced towards goal. Bruce was going mad about that one.
On the stroke of half-time the visitors got their just reward and Ferreira was caught out again as he let Gyan through.
The Ghanaian's shot was parried by Cech and the keeper got up quickly to save Kieran Richardson's follow-up.
However, when the ball came back in, Ivanovic only headed out as far as Nedum Onuoha and the on-loan Manchester City defender went on a fantastic mazy run past Mikel, Jose Bosingwa and Ivanovic before tucking his shot into the corner.
By 52 minutes, Sunderland were two ahead thanks to another stunner with Welbeck feeding England new-boy Jordan Henderson, who played it first time to Gyan and he coolly slotted past Cech.
Cue a celebration dance for a fourth goal in three games by the confident striker.
Up front for Chelsea, Didier Drogba must have dreamed of such service.
Perhaps they should have got watching US tennis star Andy Roddick out of the stands. He is famous for his service.
Drogba revealed last week how he had been suffering from malaria and frankly it looked like his whole team had been infected.
Craig Gordon was virtually unemployed and it was no great surprise that Sunderland scored again three minutes from time.
Ashley Cole, usually so dependable, tried a ridiculous pass back to Cech and Welbeck nipped in to slip it into the far corner.
For Bruce it was his first Premier League win in London for six years and what a contrast to the battered figure who sloped away distraught from St James' Park after being destroyed by the enemy in that derby game.
The downside for Bruce is on this form there is no question of him getting Onuoha or Welbeck on the books permanently. They will be going back to Manchester.
You wonder how City and United can afford to be without them.

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