Vito Mannone, Sam Allardyce and Granit Xhaka react to Sunderland's win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge
Granit Xhaka, Vito Mannone and Sam Allardyce were among those to react as Sunderland beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge to move second in the Premier League
Sam Allardyce, Vito Mannone and Granit Xhaka were among those to celebrate as Sunderland recorded a stunning 2–1 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge – their first league victory at the ground since April 2014.
Xhaka, outstanding in midfield once again, shared his delight on Instagram after the final whistle, posting: “THAT IS WHAT WE DO!!!” followed by a raised hands emoji, before adding “What a TEAM!” with a red heart emoji and the hashtag GX34. The Swiss international made more tackles than any other player on the pitch (four), won six of his seven duels, and did not concede a single foul.
Former Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce also reacted to the result on social media, commenting “Brilliant” alongside a clapping hands emoji on the club’s post which read: “THAT AWAY END. THAT PERFORMANCE. WE ARE SUNDERLAND.” The result marked Sunderland’s first Premier League win at Stamford Bridge since the Gus Poyet era, when Connor Wickham and Fabio Borini famously ended José Mourinho’s 77-game unbeaten home run in 2014. Vito Mannone, who played in goal that day, added on Instagram: “Winning at the Bridge reminds me of something.”
Régis Le Bris’ side showed similar character in west London. After falling behind to Alejandro Garnacho’s solo opener, Wilson Isidor equalised with his fourth goal of the season before substitute Chemsdine Talbi struck a dramatic 94th-minute winner. The victory – Sunderland’s second away win of the season – lifted the Black Cats up to 17 points after nine games, their best ever tally at this stage of a Premier League campaign.
After the game, Le Bris said: "It's a good performance, especially after the early goal. "We found the right balance with quality on the ball and the ability to defend high when possible and set a deep block, connected, strong, hard to beat to protect our goal. We are discovering a new league, a new squad. What we can control is how we're playing, the energy, and the game plan we can define for every game. After that, we can see."If it's possible to win, do it."
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He added: "We still have a very young squad with limited experience. They have to learn from different situations."It's important to grab this opportunity when it's possible. The opponent is so talented that they can change the game, but today it was possible, and we played well to get the three points." On Xhaka, Le Bris said: "Xhaka is the captain and sets the standards every day. On the pitch, he's a really good footballer, enjoys driving the squad. It's like a second coach on the pitch."
Sunderland are next in action against Everton in the Premier League at the Stadium of Light next Monday evening as Le Bris’ side look to build on their superb start to the season following promotion from the Championship last term.
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