Sunderland delivered the performance they had been waiting for, climbing off the bottom of the Premier League table with a crucial victory over Chelsea.
It was an impressive performance from the Mackems, but Chelsea left plenty to be desired. No Blues player stood out, with nobody receiving a rating higher than 7 in our player ratings, highlighting just how disappointing the overall performance was.
Levi Colwill
The Englishman was substituted at half-time, and arguably only made it to the break because Chelsea were reluctant to take him off before then. He struggled throughout the first half to cope with Brian Brobbey's physicality and strength, losing far too many battles against the Sunderland striker.
A major factor behind his place as our number one loser was the penalty he conceded. He grappled with Brobbey inside the box, with both players arguably guilty of fouling each other. However, the referee ultimately pointed to the spot, largely because of the defender's trip on the Sunderland forward.
He will be keen to put this performance behind him over the international break and return with a point to prove. However, Chelsea need to improve defensively, and this is one area that clearly requires attention if they are to turn things around.
Cole Palmer
Palmer was clattered inside the box in an incident that arguably should have resulted in a penalty, but aside from that moment, he was largely anonymous. His movement and link-up play failed to trouble Sunderland's defence, and he struggled to make any meaningful impact on the game.
Unfortunately, that is the only thing I can write about as the performance was so quiet. Maybe, he does not deserve to be called up for England.
He is arguably the player suffering most from the absence of Joao Pedro as Chelsea's focal point in attack. However, something needs to change. The false nine system is not working for Palmer or the team, and Chelsea need a recognised striker leading the line if they are to get the best out of their attacking players.
Pedro Neto
He was left feeding off scraps for much of the game, with Chelsea repeatedly resorting to long balls and crosses into the box. That played against his strengths, and you have to feel for the Portuguese winger, who was given very little opportunity to make an impact.
The false nine experiment clearly did not work, with Neto arguably sacrificed in Xabi Alonso's unusual starting XI. Hopefully, this is the end of that particular experiment, with his chances of being up top is over.
Why not play Morgan Rogers through the middle and move Neto back to his natural position on the left? It would give Chelsea a more balanced attacking threat rather than continuing with a system that is clearly not working.
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