- Defoe, Borini strike in second half
- Chelsea twice went ahead
- Terry sent off
- Sunderland one point above drop
Sunderland beat Chelsea 3-2 at the Stadium of Light on Saturday as Sam Allardyce’s men gave themselves a huge boost of avoiding relegation.
An enthralling encounter took place with Chelsea taking the lead through Diego Costa in the first half, then Sunderland equalized through Wahbi Khazri but Nemanja Matic put them back ahead.
Sunderland then scored twice in three second half minutes with Fabio Borini and Jermain Defoe striking to make it 3-2. John Terry was sent off late on to compound Chelsea’s misery.
With the massive win Sunderland climbed out of the relegation zone and have a one-point lead over Newcastle United with a game in hand. If they beat Everton at home on Wednesday they will be safe.
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Chelsea started brightly and Cesc Fabregas got in on the right side of the box but his cut back was cleared by Lamine Kone.
Moments later Chelsea were ahead as Eden Hazard cut into the back and the ball ricocheted fortuitously into the path of Costa who steered the ball into the far corner. 1-0.
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Sunderland fought their way back into the game as U.S. international DeAndre Yedlin had a header well saved by Thibaut Courtois.
The Black Cats did equalize through Khazri as the ball dropped to him on the edge of the box and he thundered home an effort which took a slight deflection. 1-1.
14 - Diego Costa has been involved in 14 goals in his last 14 Premier League games for Chelsea (nine goals, five assists). Integral.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 7, 2016
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The game was only level for four minutes as Matic scored right on half time to make it 2-1.
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In the second half Chelsea had chances to put the game to the bed as a flowing move found Costa at the back post but Vito Mannone saved well.
Sunderland pushed hard late on to get back into the game and they scored twice in two minutes.
First Borini smashed home low to make it 2-2 and moments later the Stadium of Light erupted.
Yedlin raced down the right and crossed for Defoe who took one touch to steady himself and drilled home his 15th PL goal of the season. 3-2. Pandemonium.
Terry was sent off late on as his Chelsea career could well be over with no new contract on the table for the legendary defender, while at the final whistle there were jubilant scenes at the Stadium of Light among the home fans. They could seal Premier League safety on Wednesday.
