For the first time since 2014 when Fabio Borini’s penalty ended Jose Mourinho’s remarkable unbeaten home run, Sunderland snatched three points from the Bridge. This time although they required an even later goal, it was a tactical tweak mixed with clever substitutions that frustrated Chelsea and ultimately brought Regis le Bris’ side the three points.
So far, Sunderland have deployed either a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1 but in West London, le Bris made two changes. Reinaldo came in for the concussed Omar Alderete as expected but interestingly, the 18-year-old Chris Rigg was replaced by summer signing Lutsharel Geertruida. A versatile player who can play at right back, centre back and defensive midfield. It was clear to see from the start that his versatility was key in shutting down Chelsea’s attack. He began as a left centre back alongside Daniel Ballard in the centre and Nordi Mukiele on the right as Sunderland switched to a 5-4-1 to directly counter Chelsea’s attacking 3-2-5 shape. The obvious weakness of this structure would be in midfield as Joao Pedro, playing off Marc Guiu, dropped deep to overload Xhaka and Sadiki but Geertruida followed him in as the remaining defensive line tucked into a 4.
With that being said and despite a promising start, Sunderland fell behind early as Chelsea caught them out in transition. When Sunderland lose the ball, you can see Geertruida running back from his marking responsibilities with Joao Pedro. The issue arises with right wingback Trai Hume, who is slow to tuck in creating a massive gap in the half space for Alejandro Garnacho to isolate himself one vs one against Mukiele, take it to his left and give Chelsea the lead.
Where an early goal could have caused panic in many dugouts, Sunderland kept their heads and stuck to their game plan. Hume and Mukiele grew in their understanding of their new roles and partnership as Garnacho faded from the match. Geertruida continued to jump on Joao Pedro when necessary to crowd him out of the game and Daniel Ballard was outstanding in handling Marc Guiu.
In a Premier League season defined by a shift towards direct “back to basics” football, it was almost fitting that Sunderland’s equalizer would come from a long throw. This is not the long throw strategy of Pulis’ Stoke whereby the aim was to get a shot on goal from first contact. Mukiele, or anyone else for that matter, has consistently shown to carry Delap’s unique ability to throw far and flat. The strategy this time is to target a crowded near post, cause chaos and utilize well timed deep runs to latch on to second balls. This worked perfectly for the equalizer as Bertrand Traore’s deep run caught Pedro Neto ball watching from the throw. His resulting shot from the second ball bounced around for Isidor to grab his fourth of the season.
With something to protect, Sunderland retreated to their 5-4-1 and never looked threatened. Chelsea’s front five was matched, Cucurella’s half space runs were covered by Mukiele and their deep crosses were comfortably dealt with by the imperious Robin Roefs in goal. Credit should also go to the Sunderland fans who made Stamford Bridge their own and it may sound arbitrary to some but their consistent signing against a quiet Chelsea faithful provided the belief that the players could do something special.
Sunderland fans:
Towards the end, le Bris substituted his entire front three who battled hard in maintaining their shape and catching Chelsea on the counter for the fresh legs of Chris Rigg, Brian Brobbey and Chemsdine Talbi. The final two combined for the winner with Geertruida ironically playing a crucial role considering he was brought in as a defensive choice. The Dutchman carried the ball out of Sunderland’s penalty area before launching a long ball for Brobbey to hold up against Tosin Adarabioyo and Trevor Chalobah. Not content with his pass, Geertruida powered forward and as Brobbey held the ball well, the Dutchman’s run dragged his marker Reece James out of the way to open space for Talbi to calmly win the game.
Geertruida celebrates the winner:
Sunderland were deserved winners as despite only holding 31% possession, they recorded a higher XG of 1.55 to Chelsea’s 1.21. Round it up and 2-1 to them is a fair score. When I asked whether his use of Geertruida was now going to be the default plan after the match, Le Bris responded, “I don’t know” but did then highlight his happiness for the players he regarded as “finishers.” Players who might not be starting but contribute massively when called upon. Whether or not this was just a one-off plan that worked this shows that Le Bris’ side has the pragmatic tactical flexibility to survive in this league. They should enjoy being fourth.
