Stamford Bridge at around 4.50 pm on Saturday was a scene of delirium and delight for Sunderland. A 93rd-minute winner from Chemsdine Talbi moved us up to second in the table and despite Chelsea dominating
the ball, they never looked likely to peg us back.
The atmosphere was up there with the best I’ve ever experienced as a Sunderland fan and the away end barely stopped singing even after going 1-0 down early on. A fourth-minute Alejandro Garnacho goal could’ve opened the floodgates, but this Sunderland team has shown time and time again that it doesn’t go down without a fight.
In the second half, we stepped up and once again, we didn’t look like a newly-promoted team.
Chelsea repeatedly played the ball into the box, where it was either headed away by a defender or claimed by Robin Roefs. It was a perfect away performance and our organisation allowed us to both keep Chelsea at arm’s length and play some decent football ourselves.
Chelsea have plenty of individual quality but what was lacking from them was unity. The atmosphere generated by the home fans was non-existent — but maybe that’s what years of becoming a destination for tourists will do for you.
When Talbi curled the ball into the bottom corner, the chaos on our side of the Shed End began. We saw what that meant to every player on the pitch and the celebrations at full time were reflective of a monumental performance from everyone in a Sunderland shirt.
I walked through Euston Station in my red and white stripes and was congratulated on the result by several people. We beat the Club World Cup Champions in their own backyard and rarely looked under pressure, and it’s a result that might not sink in for a while.
Six years ago, almost to the day of our 2-1 win at Chelsea, we lost 1-0 at Shrewsbury.
I was at the game and trudged away from Shropshire thinking things couldn’t get much worse. When they did, it was a personal low point in following Sunderland. At the time, if someone came up to me and said that in six years, we’d be in the top four of the Premier League after winning 1-2 at Stamford Bridge with Granit Xhaka as our captain, I would’ve laughed hysterically all the way back home.
The transformation at this club in an even shorter space of time has been phenomenal.
Three and a half years ago, we lost 6-0 to Bolton Wanderers and looked destined for a fifth straight season in the third tier. Now, we find ourselves hoping that Manchester City and Liverpool drop points in order for them to remain below us in the Premier League.
Despite this, nothing about what’s happened between that rainy day in Shrewsbury to where we are today is a fluke. We’re in the top four of the Premier League because we’ve shown no fear against sides who probably take us lightly due to being the newly promoted club.
This is the most important aspect for me — that many teams have come up from the Championship and still looked like a Championship club, with timid performances to match.
We’re playing some of the best football many of us have ever seen and the more time we spend dreaming at the top of the league, the less we’ll hopefully need to worry about the bottom.
