Football Review | Sunderland 2 - 1 Chelsea

This defeat was a fitting finale to Chelsea's campaign.

Everything that has gone wrong with Chelsea’s season was packed into another awful 90 minutes.

Author | Lauren W

Stadium | Stadium of Light

Here, they were beaten by a side they had been expected to overcome comfortably, with Wesley Fofana becoming the latest player to be sent off.

A first-time strike from defender Trai Hume opened the scoring, catching keeper Robert Sanchez off guard midway through the first half.

Malo Gusto then turned Brian Brobbey's wayward shot into his own net in the second half. Although Cole Palmer reduced the deficit with a long-range effort, Sunderland held on.

It is remarkable to think optimism around Chelsea had not been this high for years when the campaign began.

They had lifted the Conference League and Club World Cup and secured Champions League qualification under Enzo Maresca.

Yet Maresca’s fallout with the hierarchy and his decision to walk away on New Year’s Day proved a turning point.

His successor, Liam Rosenior, survived less than four months before departing after six straight defeats without a goal, while interim head coach Calum McFarlane was unable to deliver either FA Cup success or European qualification.

Chelsea ended the season with only two wins from their final 13 league matches under their last two managers, turning what once looked like a straightforward route into the Champions League into a drift towards mid-table obscurity.

The decline has left players such as Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella openly critical of the club, while captain Reece James admitted earlier this week that “stability is key”.

Responsibility lies across the club for a squad assembled at a cost of £1.6bn under Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital delivering so little in the fourth season since the 2022 takeover.

A return of 52 points represents Chelsea’s fifth-lowest tally of the Premier League era.

Not only did Chelsea fail to meet their minimum target of Champions League qualification, this is now the second time in four seasons under the BlueCo ownership that they have missed out on Europe altogether.

At least, for many frustrated supporters, the season is finally over. The expected appointment of Xabi Alonso offers a measure of hope, with both fans and players seemingly encouraged by his anticipated arrival on 1 July.

Chelsea crave stability, but with the club at such a low ebb, transfer budgets reduced and a bloated squad still needing to be trimmed, Alonso is likely to require time and patience.