Chelsea’s recent surge of positive form came crashing down with a disappointing defeat to Sunderland, halting the momentum they had begun to build. The game initially offered plenty of optimism when Alejandro Garnacho opened the scoring early on—his first-ever goal for the club. That moment seemed to set the tone for a dominant performance, but what followed was a frustrating display that exposed several of Chelsea’s familiar weaknesses.
Throughout the match, the Blues enjoyed the majority of possession, dictating the tempo and territory. However, despite their control, they lacked any real cutting edge in attack. Sunderland’s defensive setup proved extremely difficult to break down, and Chelsea looked devoid of creativity and imagination in the final third. The absence of Cole Palmer, both as a goal threat and as a creative orchestrator, was glaring. Without his influence, the side appeared predictable and slow in their build-up play, unable to unlock Sunderland’s compact defense.
Defensively, Chelsea were equally unconvincing. They struggled to manage set-piece situations and appeared disorganized when dealing with long throws and crosses into the box. Sunderland’s equalizer came directly from one such lapse—Chelsea’s defenders failed to react quickly enough to a routine long throw-in, allowing the opposition to pounce. Beyond that, their vulnerability during transitions was alarming. Only Josh Acheampong seemed capable of keeping up with Sunderland’s pace on the counter-attack, using his speed and composure to diffuse several potentially dangerous moments.
However, manager Enzo Maresca’s decision to substitute Acheampong proved costly and became the turning point of the game. The introduction of Tosin Adarabioyo in his place destabilized the defense. Tosin, while experienced, lacked the quickness and defensive sharpness needed to handle Sunderland’s fast breaks. The decision backfired late in stoppage time, when Sunderland launched a swift counter-attack that exposed Chelsea’s defensive frailties once more.
In that decisive moment, Tosin was caught in a poor defensive position. Instead of engaging the opposing striker or closing down the space, he hesitated, allowing the attacker time to find a teammate unmarked inside the penalty area. The Sunderland player made no mistake, calmly slotting the ball past the helpless Chelsea goalkeeper to seal a dramatic late victory. The home supporters were left stunned, and frustration spread quickly through the fanbase.
Many Chelsea fans took to social media to criticize Maresca’s tactical decision-making. One supporter summarized the general sentiment: “Substituting Josh, who was doing a great job protecting us during transitions, for Tosin—who struggles in one-on-one duels—was asking for trouble. Unless Josh was injured, that change made no sense.”
For a manager already under pressure, Maresca’s judgment is being called into question. While he can point to an ongoing injury crisis as a mitigating factor, Chelsea’s squad depth should still have been enough to overcome a team like Sunderland, especially at Stamford Bridge. The defeat not only highlighted tactical shortcomings but also deepened concerns about the team’s lack of consistency.
As things stand, Chelsea’s season appears to be unraveling. Their performances are far from the standard expected of a club with Champions League ambitions. If results don’t improve soon, their hopes of finishing in the top four—and perhaps Maresca’s credibility with the fans—could quickly fade away.
