Sunderland continued to impress on their return to the English Premier League after an eight-year absence, defeating Chelsea 2-1 at Stamford Bridge thanks to substitute Chemsdine Talbi’s curling strike deep into stoppage time.
With this win, Sunderland climbed to second place in the points table with 17 points from nine matches, just two points behind leaders Arsenal. The Gunners, however, can extend the gap as they are set to play their ninth-round fixture against Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Chelsea took the lead in the fourth minute through Alejandro Garnacho, but Wilson Isidor equalized in the 22nd before Talbi’s dramatic winner in the third minute of second-half stoppage time sealed the victory for the visitors.
“We know we are Sunderland. We have a great team with great players. We knew we could do the job, and we showed it today,” Talbi said in a post-match interview.
“We knew against Chelsea we would have a chance to score, and when Brian got the ball, I knew I had to follow. Then I had a good finish,” he added.
Chelsea, who could have moved up to second with a win, slipped to seventh, behind their London rivals Tottenham.