A Bridge of sighs as Cats’ dismal season ends with drubbing
SUNDERLAND’S Premier League stay ended with a whimper on the final day of the season as champions Chelsea inflicted the Black Cats’ heaviest defeat of the campaign.
Sunderland took a shock lead inside five minutes at Stamford Bridge through on-loan Atletico Madrid defender Javi Manquillo, who scored his first goal for the club.
However, it lasted only five minutes before Willian levelled for Antonio Conte’s side.
The Wearsiders kept Chelsea at bay until the hour mark before Eden Hazard put the Blues in front.
Then the roof fell in for the Black Cats in the final 15 minutes as substitute Pedro took advantage of a mix-up between goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and defender Joleon Lescott to head in a third before substitute Michy Batshuayi notched twice in the dying minutes.
It was Chelsea’s 30th league win of the campaign – a record for English clubs in a 38-game season – and the game also marked the end of skipper John Terry’s career at the club.
David Moyes made three changes to the side which started the midweek defeat at Arsenal – all of which were forced upon him by yet more late-season injuries.
Defender Lamine Kone and midfielder Didier Ndong were doubts after the trip to the Emirates while leading scorer Jermain Defoe apparently picked up a hamstring problem on the eve of the Chelsea game – which meant he missed out on an ever-present record this season. With other injuries restricting his options, Moyes handed January short-term signing Lescott his first start for the Black Cats in place of Kone.
Jack Rodwell came into the starting XI in place of Ndong while onloan Manchester United man Adnan Januzaj replaced Defoe.
Conte made six changes to the side which beat Watford 4-3, restoring all his big guns to the team.
Back came Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas, Victor Moses, Thibaut Courtois, David Luiz and former Sunderland loanee Marcos Alonso. They replaced Batshuayi, Nathaniel Chalobah, Nathan Ake, Asmir Begovic, Kurt Zouma and Kenedy.
Sunderland made a dream start, scoring with their first meaningful attack.
Januzaj won a free-kick 25 yards from goal to the left of centre, Seb Larsson’s set-piece hit the wall and was deflected into the path of the unmarked Manquillo coming in at the far post - and he lashed the ball into the roof of the net past the helpless Courtois.
Chelsea then laid siege to the Sunderland goal - and the lead did not last long.
Alonso hit the crossbar with a free-kick and Sunderland could not get the ball clear, Hazard and Costa keeping it alive and teeing up Willian to the right of goal and he smashed the ball home.
From then on the Blues were in control and Hazard would have had a tap-in on 12 minutes had Cesar Azpilicueta’s ball across the face of goal not been a yard behind him.
On the quarter-hour, Luiz chipped a free-kick over the wall for the unmarked Costa beyond the far post
- but his volley went a yard wide. Just before the midway point of the first half, Pickford made a brilliant save to fingertip an effort from Moses over the bar.
Towards the end of the first period, Costa rolled a shot wide of the lefthand post and Hazard blazed over the bar from the edge of the box.
Set-pieces were Sunderland’s best hope of a second goal and a rightwing Larsson corner early in the second half almost provided one.
Rodwell got on the end of the Swede’s delivery and directed a powerful downward header towards the bottom right-hand corner - but Courtois got down quickly to parry and Chelsea cleared. Chelsea made their pressure pay in the 61st minute as they got their noses in front.
Costa slipped the ball to his left into the path of Hazard, he worked his way into the box and fired across Pickford into the right side of the net.
The hosts made sure there was no way back for Sunderland 12 minutes from time.
A long pass down the middle from Fabregas found Pedro on the shoulder of Lescott.
The veteran defender headed the ball up in the air towards where he thought Pickford should be but the goalkeeper had come off his line and the header looped over him, Pedro running on to nod the ball into the net from a tight angle.
In the 90th minute Batshuayi added the fourth, latching on to Pedro’s pass inside the area and sliding his finish beyond Pickford.
With the last kick of the game, Batshuayi completed the rout.