Wilson Isidor and Robin Roefs were among several Sunderland players to post defiant messages on social media after the club’s dramatic 2–1 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge

Sunderland’s players have taken to social media to celebrate their remarkable 2–1 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge – the club’s first victory at the ground since 2014.

Wilson Isidor, who scored his first away goal of the season to bring Sunderland level before Chemsdine Talbi’s late winner, posted a powerful message to his followers. “They don’t believe in us… let’s prove them wrong!” he wrote on Instagram, alongside two images of his goal and celebration in front of the travelling supporters.

The post, which quickly attracted thousands of likes, was met with comments from several teammates – Lutsharel Geertruida replied with a red heart and fire emojis, while Chris Rigg added two fire emojis of his own. Isidor later reflected on the result in an interview with the BBC, saying: “We’re second?! That’s nice, no? We are not second; it is not the end of the season. We have to keep focusing. People think we are a really young team, but we have a lot of character. First of all, we are wearing the badge of Sunderland. We always believe.”

Goalkeeper Robin Roefs, who produced another commanding performance between the posts, also paid tribute to the team and fans. Sharing a black-and-white image of himself punching clear under pressure from Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella, Roefs wrote: “Just incredible. The win, this team, these fans. What a day @sunderlandafc.” His post drew praise from across the dressing room – Granit Xhaka and Nordi Mukiele both responded with fire emojis, Trai Hume replied with a clapping emoji, while Chris Rigg left heart-eyes emojis in the comments.

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The victory – Sunderland’s second away win of the campaign – lifted Régis Le Bris’ side to second in the Premier League table with 17 points from nine matches. It continued the club’s extraordinary start to life back in the top flight, underpinned by a togetherness clearly reflected in the players’ online celebrations.

What other social media reaction was there to the win?

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.”

Granit 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.

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