Chelsea remain undefeated after seeing off Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. The surprise of the day came when Daniel Sturridge was picked to play up front while £50 million signing Fernando Torres was benched by Andre Villas- Boas. Sturridge showed what he could do when he ran to Raul Meireles through ball and slotted home a cheeky back heel which Wes Brown lunged for but failed to make any contact.
Blue’s skipper John Terry scored the opener after Sunderland failed to clear Mata’s free- kick hit the post. Terry side footed the ball into the back of the net; the free- kick was given after Wes Brown fouled Ashley Cole when he stuck a leg out.
Villas- Boas’ team had the upper hand throughout the game, however the host’s substitute Ji Dong- Won did give them a scare after he got one past Petr Cech in injury time. It gave the Black Cat’s a glimmer of hope but it was too late in the day for anything concrete to come of it.
Chelsea gave an impressive performance and Sturridge’s outrageous finish when confronted by the advancing Simon Mignolet topped it off. Credit must be given to Spaniard Mata, he was extremely creative with his one-touch football and neat passes. He fulfilled Andre Villas- Boas’ wish for more pace and creativity with his sparkling display.
New signing Meireles was influential in midfield on his debut as he set up Sturridge’s goal with a superb long pass. Sunderland got off to a bright start; Nicklas Bendtner had the first chance of the game after he headed the ball wide from a Sebastian Larsson free- kick. Stephane Sessegnon had a strike beaten away by Cech in the later stages of the first half.
Chelsea did not sit quiet during the first half, Ashley Cole and Miereles both had a go at goal with a fierce shot and a wide curl. The Blues kept applying pressure. Mata hit the woodwork; Sturridge crossed the ball from it and Terry calmly finished.
Six minutes into the second half Chelsea got their second goal from Sturridge and sunk any hopes Sunderland may have had of a comeback. Watch the goals below, and enjoy Sturridge’s backheel.
Sunderland v Chelsea by narnioso
