Le Fee Penalty Gives Sunderland 1-0 Win Over Chelsea at the Stadium of Light

Sunderland beat Chelsea 1-0 at the Stadium of Light on Sunday, November 8, in Premier League Matchday 10. Enzo Le Fee scored the only goal from the penalty spot in the 36th minute, and Sunderland held the lead to full time despite losing Granit Xhaka to injury in the opening minutes of the match.

The result was a home win built on one penalty and a clean sheet. Chelsea left Wearside with nothing, and their shaky run of league form continued with the defeat, as the Premier League roundups noted on Sunday.

An early blow for Sunderland

Sunderland's afternoon started with a problem. Granit Xhaka went off in the opening minutes, and J. Ahoka Jules replaced him, with the change listed in the fourth minute. Losing an experienced midfielder that early forces a side to reorganise before the match has settled, and Sunderland had to play almost the whole game with their reshaped midfield.

They handled it. The home side stayed organised after the change, kept Chelsea out, and reached the point in the first half where the match turned their way.

The penalty that decided it

The only goal came in the 36th minute. Sunderland won a penalty, and Enzo Le Fee took it and scored. The spot kick put Sunderland 1-0 ahead at the Stadium of Light, and it stood as the difference between the two sides for the rest of the afternoon.

A single penalty is a thin margin, and Sunderland had to defend it for close to an hour. They did. Chelsea could not find an equaliser, and the full time score was confirmed at 1-0 to Sunderland, the winner decided by Le Fee's first half spot kick.

Chelsea's poor run goes on

For Chelsea, the defeat added to a difficult stretch in the league. The roundup coverage of the Premier League weekend reported that Chelsea's shaky league form continued at the Stadium of Light, where they created no way back into a match that turned on one penalty in the 36th minute.

For Sunderland, the afternoon brought three points at home and a clean sheet against one of the league's biggest clubs, earned after losing Xhaka almost before the match had begun. Le Fee's penalty, scored nine minutes before the interval, carried the whole result.