Enzo Maresca delivered a scathing assessment of his Chelsea side following their dramatic 2-1 defeat to Sunderland at Stamford Bridge, admitting the Blues lacked the quality and consistency required to challenge for the Premier League title. The Italian manager didn’t mince words in his post-match press conference after Chemsdine Talbi’s 93rd-minute winner stunned the home crowd and ended Chelsea’s four-match winning streak.
Chelsea’s promising start saw Alejandro Garnacho open his account for the club with a fourth-minute strike, the Argentine’s first goal since his summer transfer from Manchester United. Pedro Neto burst forward before feeding Garnacho, who drove past Nordi Mukiele and slotted a low shot through goalkeeper Robin Roefs’ legs.
However, Sunderland equalised in the 22nd minute through a set-piece that exposed Chelsea’s defensive vulnerabilities. Mukiele’s long throw-in caused chaos in the penalty area, with Wilson Isidor poking home from close range after the ball ricocheted off Bertrand Traoré’s shot.
Chelsea dominated possession in the second half but struggled to break down Regis Le Bris’s well-organised side. The hosts created several opportunities, with Enzo Fernández seeing a header saved by Roefs and Garnacho unable to convert from the back post following a Reece James corner.
Sunderland capitalised on Chelsea’s inability to find a winner when substitute Brian Brobbey held up play brilliantly against two defenders deep into stoppage time. The Dutch forward laid the ball off to Talbi at the edge of the area, with the 20-year-old Morocco international curling a precise side-footed finish into the bottom right corner, sparking delirium amongst the travelling supporters in the Shed End.
Maresca pulled no punches in his assessment of the performance. “I think we were in general, we were not good enough,” the Chelsea boss stated. When you are not good enough in the Premier League, the consequence can be a bad one.
The Italian emphasised the importance of game management, particularly when leading. “When you can’t win, it’s important you don’t lose,” Maresca continued. “The second goal is not a transition, it’s a long ball and we don’t defend properly. The first goal is from a throw-in because they have six, seven or eight players in the box. It’s difficult. We were not good enough.”
Chelsea have now dropped eight points from winning positions in the Premier League this season, a statistic that clearly frustrates the former Leicester City manager. “We are always looking for a reason why when something is not working well,” he explained. “We always try to analyse game by game. We need to do better.”
Maresca identified a lack of creativity as a key issue in his side’s performance. “We were not good enough. [We had a] lack of creativity. We didn’t create a lot apart from the goal probably,” he admitted. “We need our players to perform 100 per cent. Even at 1-0, we lost some second balls and against this team, we need to win them.”
The Chelsea manager stressed that consistency remains the fundamental requirement for title contention. “If you want to be there, [challenging for the Premier League title] you need consistency,” Maresca said. “But today when we lost points, we didn’t show that. If we can have this level and that level, we need something in between.”
Despite the disappointing result, Maresca attempted to provide perspective on Chelsea’s overall campaign. “But I think overall, since we started, we perform much better than compared to today’s game,” he noted.
Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah echoed his manager’s frustration when speaking to Sky Sports after the match. “Difficult one, they came to disrupt our game,” the England international said. “We had a couple of chances in the first half, we created some in the second but switched off at the end.”
Chalobah acknowledged the team’s collective disappointment whilst rejecting fixture congestion as a valid excuse. “As a team it is not the best of games but it is one we have to learn from,” he stated. With the Champions League we have a lot of games but we can’t complain. These are the games we want to play in and we can’t use that as an excuse.”
The defender emphasised the dressing room atmosphere following the defeat. “Everyone felt that one [in the dressing room]. It is a game we needed to win,” Chalobah revealed. “We have been very good at Stamford Bridge so it is disappointing.”
The result leaves Chelsea seventh in the Premier League table with 14 points from nine matches, five points behind leaders Arsenal. The defeat represents a significant setback for a side that had thrashed Ajax 5-1 in the Champions League on Wednesday and appeared to be building momentum.
Sunderland’s victory lifted them into second place in the table, continuing their remarkable start to life back in the top flight. The Black Cats have now won five of their opening nine fixtures, matching Chelsea’s points total and exceeding all pre-season expectations.
The promoted side’s resilience and tactical discipline frustrated Chelsea throughout, with goalkeeper Roefs making several important saves whilst Le Bris’s organised defensive structure limited clear-cut chances. Sunderland hadn’t won at Stamford Bridge in the league since 2014, making the victory particularly sweet for their travelling support.
Chelsea fans expressed anger on social media following the match, with particular criticism directed at Maresca’s decision to substitute Josh Acheampong in the 76th minute, replacing him with Tosin Adarabioyo. The young defender had impressed in dealing with Sunderland’s counter-attacks before his withdrawal, with the winning goal arriving after his departure.
The Blues return to action on Wednesday when they travel to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the EFL Cup fourth round, before hosting Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League next Saturday. Maresca will hope his side can rediscover the form that produced four consecutive victories prior to this setback.
The defeat raises questions about Chelsea’s ability to maintain consistency across a demanding schedule that includes Premier League, Champions League and domestic cup commitments. With significant summer investment failing to deliver immediate results, pressure will intensify on Maresca to extract improved performances from his expensively assembled squad.
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Image Credit:
Lucy Powell — photo by Lauren Hurley / No 10 Downing Street, licensed under the UK Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL v3.0).
