Sensational Sunderland qualify for Europa League as 10-man Chelsea fall apart

Who saw this coming? A twelvemonth agone Sunderland won nan Championship playoffs and were everybody’s favourite for an contiguous relegation. Instead Régis Le Bris’s wonderfully resilient broadside person vanished seventh and secured a lucrative passport to nan Europa League.

This afloat merited triumph against a Chelsea broadside whose ain European ambitions were shredded on nan measurement was successful galore ways emblematic of their season. It was a time erstwhile nan 2nd tier aged boys upstaged nan Club World Cup holders and Enzo Le Fée eclipsed Chelsea’s World Cup winning Enzo Fernández.

It is not truthful agelong agone that Luke O’Nien was playing League One shot pinch Sunderland but, here, nan cardinal defender afloat held his ain against CChelsea’s defence and moreover recovered clip to move extremity creator by utilizing his caput to flick a agelong shot from Robin Roefs into Trai Hume’s path.

The Northern Ireland world responded instinctively and, arsenic Hume’s fabulous, first time, high-velocity volley, struck pinch nan extracurricular of his correct foot, deed nan backmost of Robert Sánchez’s net, Chelsea’s European imagination instantly receded.

To opportunity that 25th infinitesimal opener from Hume – who had an fantabulous crippled – was deserved would beryllium an understatement. The visitors struggled to header pinch Sunderland’s strength and invention and spent agelong periods camped, uncomfortably, successful their ain half.

Chelsea’s Wesley Fofana is shown a reddish paper by referee Chris Kavanagh. Photograph: Lee Smith/Action Images/Reuters

The infinitesimal erstwhile Fernández shoved the, erstwhile again, influential Le Fée complete proved a microcosm of nan mounting visiting vexation arsenic they struggled to dismantle their hosts’ hallmark passing triangles.

Le Fée began nan 2nd half by sending a clever flicked walk into nan way of Brian Brobbey and only Sánchez’s outstretched limb came betwixt nan Dutchman and an hold of Sunderland’s lead.

It proved only a impermanent enactment of execution for Callum McFarlane’s side. When Le Fée did good to support nan shot successful play and transverse from nan correct Brobbey’s relationship was poor. Indeed his changeable was bobbling wide erstwhile it deflected disconnected Malo Gusto’s shin earlier flying past Sánchez. As Le Bris and his coaching unit danced pinch joyousness successful nan location method area, Gusto looked mortified.

The infinitesimal had arrived for nan antecedently adjacent anonymous Cole Palmer to punctual Thomas Tuchel that, contempt down omitted from nan England squad, he remains a acold from shabby finisher. A swipe of Palmer’s near footwear from astir 20 yards surely proved excessively bully for Roefs who could not clasp a changeable he astir apt should person saved.

As nan hostility roseate and temperatures frayed, Wesley Fofana was sent disconnected successful nan 62nd infinitesimal aft collecting a 2nd yellowish card, for attempting to rugby tackle Wilson Isidor.

Ten minutes of edgy stoppage time, featuring a opinionated ovation for Le Fée arsenic he was replaced by Chris Rigg, only added to nan drama.