Sunderland vs Chelsea
Match recap
Sunderland beat Chelsea 2–1 in their Premier League fixture. Hume and Gusto scored for Sunderland; Palmer replied for Chelsea. Expected-goals data put the chance balance at 1.94 for Sunderland versus 0.90 for Chelsea. Sunderland sit 7th in the Premier League table while Chelsea are 10th.
Analysis
As the Premier League season nears its climax, Sunderland host Chelsea in a fixture promising plenty of drama and a tight contest. Both sides are neck and neck in the table, setting the stage for a keenly contested encounter.
Chelsea, affectionately known as The Blues or The Pensioners, hold a slight historical edge over Sunderland with 10 wins in 16 meetings. Sunderland, playing at home, will look to leverage their familiar turf to challenge Chelsea's ambitions.
Sunderland's attacking spearhead, B. Brobbey, boasts a strong away scoring form, while midfield maestros E. Le Fée and G. Xhaka are pivotal in controlling the game's tempo. However, Sunderland's defence will miss D. Ballard due to suspension, potentially exposing vulnerabilities. Chelsea's attack might be slightly hampered by João Pedro's injury doubts, but their overall experience and past dominance in head-to-heads give them the upper hand.
Prediction
Expect a lively first half ending 1-1 as both teams find the net. Chelsea's resilience and tactical nous should see them clinch a 2-1 victory by fulltime. The match is also likely to be competitive, with around four cards issued as tempers flare in this crucial fixture.
Outcome probability
Key Insights
Sunderland's Midfield Control Potential
Le Fée and Xhaka's high passing and tackling stats suggest midfield dominance to disrupt Chelsea's rhythm.
Brobbey's Away Scoring Form
Brobbey's 0.33 goals per away game in last 5 matches exceeds league attacker average, key scoring threat.
Defensive Disruption from Ballard's Suspension
Ballard's red card absence weakens Sunderland's defense, increasing vulnerability to Chelsea's attack.
Chelsea's João Pedro Injury Uncertainty
João Pedro's questionable status due to injury may reduce Chelsea's attacking potency, affecting goal output.
Xhaka's Leadership and Passing Influence
Xhaka's role as captain and high passing volume can orchestrate Sunderland's play and create scoring chances.
Key Takeaways
In summary, while Sunderland will put up a spirited fight bolstered by key players, Chelsea's historical edge and squad depth should secure them the three points. Fans can anticipate a thrilling match with goals, tension, and a narrow away win.
- Chelsea lead Sunderland 10-4 in 16 head-to-head matches with 2 draws.
- Head-to-head matches average 3.4 goals, indicating a moderately high-scoring affair.
- Sunderland are 10th in the league with 51 points from 37 games (W13 D12 L12).
- Chelsea sit just above in 8th place with 52 points from 37 games (W14 D10 L13).
- B. Brobbey leads Sunderland's scoring with 7 goals, showing strong away form.
- E. Le Fée is Sunderland's top assist provider with 6 assists this season.
- D. Ballard's suspension weakens Sunderland's defensive line.
- The predicted total cards for the match is 4, suggesting a competitive game.
Player Insights
Standout players Fipster expects to impact the match — curated highlights, not full squad lists
Home — Sunderland
Away — Chelsea
No standout top scorers flagged for Chelsea
Form as the teams went into this match — excludes this result and anything since.
Team Comparison
Season shape — attack, defence, form, clean sheets & win rate
Home vs Away comparison
Goal difference in each of the last few fixtures — above the line is a net win, below is a net loss
Season comparison
Goals scored & conceded, goal difference and clean sheets across the season
Halftime Performance
What each side does once the whistle goes for half time
Streaks
Recent-form runs — each side’s most-recent game meets in the middle
Head to Head
Hume
Assist: O'Nien
Angulo
Yellow Card
Gusto (OG)
Geertruida
Yellow Card
Hato
Fofana
Yellow Card
Palmer
Assist: Neto
Brobbey
Angulo
Fofana
Yellow Card
Fofana
Red Card
Neto
Fernández
Yellow Card
Xhaka
Yellow Card
Diarra
Yellow Card
Gusto
Caicedo
Sadiki
Yellow Card
João Pedro
Yellow Card
Le Fée
Palmer
Yellow Card
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Arsenal | 38 | 26 | 7 | 5 | +44 | 85 |
| 6 |  Bournemouth | 38 | 13 | 18 | 7 | +4 | 57 |
| 7 |  Sunderland | 38 | 14 | 12 | 12 | -6 | 54 |
| 8 |  Brighton | 38 | 14 | 11 | 13 | +6 | 53 |
| 9 |  Brentford | 38 | 14 | 11 | 13 | +3 | 53 |
| 10 |  Chelsea | 38 | 14 | 10 | 14 | +6 | 52 |
| 11 |  Fulham | 38 | 15 | 7 | 16 | -4 | 52 |
Match Statistics
Sunderland
4-2-3-1Starting XI
- 6L. GeertruidaD
- 9B. BrobbeyF
- 10N. AnguloM
- 13L. O'NienD
- 17ReinildoD
- 20N. MukieleD
- 22R. RoefsG
- 27N. SadikiM
- 28E. Le FéeM
- 32T. HumeM
- 34G. XhakaM
Substitutes
- 3D. CirkinD
- 11C. RiggM
- 12Eliezer MayendaF
- 15O. AldereteD
- 18W. IsidorF
- 19H. DiarraM
- 25B. TraoréF
- 31M. EllborgG
- 37J. T. BiF
Chelsea
3-4-1-2Starting XI
- 1Robert SánchezG
- 3Marc CucurellaM
- 6L. ColwillD
- 7Pedro NetoF
- 8E. FernándezM
- 10C. PalmerF
- 20João PedroF
- 21J. HatoD
- 25M. CaicedoM
- 27M. GustoM
- 29W. FofanaD
Substitutes
- 9L. DelapF
- 12F. JörgensenG
- 14Dário EssugoM
- 17Andrey SantosM
- 23T. ChalobahD
- 24R. JamesD
- 34Joshua Kofi AcheampongD
- 49A. GarnachoF
- 55J. DerryF
Sunderland
| Player | Pos | Min | Rating | G | A | Shots | SoT | Key Passes | Dribbles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trai Hume | M | 103 | 8.2 | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | 6 | — |
| Granit Xhaka(C) | M | 103 | 7.6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Enzo Le Fée | M | 98 | 7.3 | — | — | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0/1 |
| Noah Sadiki | M | 103 | 6.9 | — | — | — | — | 2 | — |
| Nordi Mukiele | D | 103 | 6.9 | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — |
| Brian Brobbey | F | 61 | 6.9 | — | — | 3 | 1 | — | — |
| Luke O'Nien | D | 103 | 6.7 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — |
| Nilson Angulo | M | 61 | 6.5 | — | — | 3 | 1 | — | 0/1 |
| Robin Roefs | G | 103 | 6.5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Reinildo Mandava | D | 103 | 6.3 | — | — | — | — | — | 0/1 |
| Lutsharel Geertruida | D | 103 | 6.3 | — | — | — | — | — | 0/1 |
| Substitutes | |||||||||
| Jocelin Ta Bi | F | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Bertrand Traoré | F | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Omar Alderete | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Dennis Cirkin | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Melker Ellborg | G | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Chris Rigg | M | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Eliezer Mayenda | F | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Habib Diarra | M | 42 | 6.7 | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — |
| Wilson Isidor | F | 42 | 6.7 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
Chelsea
| Player | Pos | Min | Rating | G | A | Shots | SoT | Key Passes | Dribbles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cole Palmer | F | 103 | 7.6 | 1 | — | 3 | 2 | — | 0/3 |
| Malo Gusto | M | 85 | 7.2 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1/1 |
| Levi Colwill | D | 103 | 7.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Pedro Neto | F | 65 | 7.2 | — | 1 | — | — | 3 | 1/3 |
| João Pedro | F | 103 | 7.0 | — | — | 2 | — | — | 3/6 |
| Moisés Caicedo | M | 85 | 6.9 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0/1 |
| Enzo Fernández(C) | M | 103 | 6.7 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1/1 |
| Robert Sánchez | G | 103 | 6.6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Marc Cucurella | M | 103 | 6.5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jorrel Hato | D | 53 | 6.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Wesley Fofana | D | 62 | 5.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Substitutes | |||||||||
| Alejandro Garnacho | F | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Filip Jørgensen | G | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Andrey Santos | M | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Dário Essugo | M | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jesse Derry | F | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Trevoh Chalobah | D | 38 | 7.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Reece James | D | 50 | 6.9 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 0/1 |
| Josh Acheampong | D | 18 | 6.7 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Liam Delap | F | 18 | 6.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |