Chelsea’s four-game winning streak came to a painful end as they were stunned 2-1 at home by newly promoted Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, October 25, 2025. The visitors secured all three points thanks to a dramatic stoppage-time goal by substitute Chemsdine Talbi, overturning Chelsea’s early lead and leaving the hosts with plenty of questions heading into a demanding fixture schedule.
Chelsea looked confident in the opening stages, dictating play with their typical possession-based rhythm under manager Enzo Maresca. Within just four minutes, they took the lead through young winger Alejandro Garnacho, who scored his first goal for the club.
After a Sunderland clearance was intercepted by Pedro Neto, the Portuguese winger threaded a clever pass through to Garnacho, who cut inside and fired a low shot through the legs of goalkeeper Robin Roefs. The early goal sent Stamford Bridge into celebration and seemed to set the tone for another routine home win for the Blues.
However, the momentum slowly shifted as Sunderland began to settle into the game. The visitors displayed the discipline and organization that has characterized their impressive start to the Premier League season.
Just twelve minutes after going behind, Sunderland equalized through Wilson Isidor. A long throw-in from Nordi Mukiele was flicked on in the box, and Isidor reacted quickest to poke the ball home from close range.
It was a scrappy goal, but it exposed Chelsea’s vulnerability in dealing with set pieces — a weakness that has haunted them several times this season.
From that moment, Chelsea’s rhythm seemed to fade. While they continued to dominate possession — registering nearly 70 percent by the end of the match — they struggled to create clear-cut chances.
Sunderland, coached by Régis Le Bris, were content to sit deep, soak up pressure, and wait for counter-attacking opportunities. Their compact defensive shape frustrated Chelsea’s creative players, and the home side’s intricate passing often broke down in the final third.
In the second half, Chelsea increased their tempo and introduced fresh legs, with Estêvão replacing Garnacho and Cole Palmer moving into a more central role. But even with the changes, the Blues found it difficult to penetrate Sunderland’s disciplined defense.
Full-back Marc Cucurella made several surging runs forward, but his final delivery lacked precision, while Nicolas Jackson struggled to make an impact against Sunderland’s towering defenders.
For much of the second half, that seemed unlikely. Chelsea’s pressure was relentless, but Sunderland’s defensive wall held firm. Goalkeeper Robin Roefs produced an excellent save to deny Palmer from a curling effort, and in the 78th minute, Raheem Sterling came close with a header that drifted narrowly wide.
The home crowd grew restless as every attack was met by a wave of red-and-white shirts blocking and intercepting everything.
Then, deep into stoppage time, came the defining moment. In the 93rd minute, Sunderland launched one final counterattack. Substitute Brian Brobbey held up the ball brilliantly under pressure and slipped a pass into the path of Chemsdine Talbi, who had only been on the pitch for a few minutes.
Talbi calmly placed his shot into the far corner past goalkeeper Robert Sánchez, silencing the home fans and sending the Sunderland bench into wild celebration.
Chelsea’s defenders looked shell-shocked as they trudged off the pitch, knowing they had let two points slip away in a match they largely controlled. Trevoh Chalobah summed up the mood afterward, admitting that while fixture congestion is demanding, it cannot be used as an excuse.
Sunderland’s victory, meanwhile, was another statement of intent in what has been a remarkable start to their Premier League campaign. Their 17 points from nine matches mark the best return by a promoted team at this stage since Hull City in 2008–09.