FACT AND FIGURES: SUNDERLAND VS CHELSEA

The first midweek league game of the season takes us on our furthest journey. Club historian Rick Glanvill and club statistician Paul Dutton look north…


 

TALKING POINTS
 

Tonight Chelsea target a festive fifth successive away league victory for the first time since April 2015. And, after Sunday, surely every defender’s nightmare before Christmas must be a bouncing ball over the head with Diego Costa bearing down.

Antonio Conte’s Blues have already equalled last season’s total of league wins, and are 15 points better off against the equivalent opposition in 2015/16; a win on Wearside would raise that to 18. The gap from first down to fifth – Tottenham – is currently 10 points.

Having seen off teams who were fifth, third and seventh at the time we played them, Chelsea must now take on the bottom club, Sunderland, then 15th-placed Crystal Palace in their own back yards. Wastrels can become world beaters when the league leaders roll into town, and both upcoming foes have bucked form and scooped the points in two of our past five meetings.

Three games in a week against any top-flight opponents is a test, and as the Black Cats and the Glaziers are as desperate for points as the Blues, they must be matched for effort before anything else. While the festive tinsel twinkles, five matches over the next 22 days will edge Chelsea into the new year and past the halfway stage of the season.



KEY STAT

Chelsea have won more points (36 from a possible 51) and more games (11) on the road than any other Premier League side in 2016.  

 

David Moyes’s Sunderland have endured a roller-coaster season, initially matching Manchester City’s forgotten Premier League record from 1995/96 of two points amassed after 10 games.

Their more recent recovery, involving three wins in four outings, had been based on picking off fellow strugglers in basement battles (they lost to Liverpool during that run). In that context, losing 0-3 at Swansea at the weekend looked a considerable set-back and has taken their tally of defeats into double figures.

At either end of the table an exceptional goalkeeper can be a differentiator, and young Jordan Pickford has won great plaudits since stepping in for Vito Mannone.

It will not have cheered Black Cats fans, then, to hear their manager concede that promising young custodian Pickford may be sacrificed to fund what he sees as essential squad renewal, likening it to the situation he faced at Everton with Wayne Rooney.

In contrast Chelsea’s hard-earned victory over West Bromwich Albion made it nine successive league wins. It is the fifth time the club – historically renowned for inconsistency, remember – has strung such a run together.

Our longest ever victory spree was the 11 between 25 April and 26 September 2009, but that ranged over two seasons. The other three runs were achieved in the course of the same season: August to October 2005 (nine wins), January to April 2007 (nine), and 19 November 2005 to 22 January 2006 (10).

By coincidence the 10th in that last sequence, 11 years ago during the back-to-back titles season, was a 2-1 victory at Mick McCarthy’s Sunderland. It is our all-time best run in a single season and could be matched this evening at the same stadium.

Substitute Cesc Fabregas commented at the weekend that the squad has also been working on ‘mental aspects’ of playing teams such as the well-drilled Baggies. It was a reminder of the brilliant way each week Conte has used training ground work, free from European involvement, to find a way to navigate tactical obstacles as well as nurture in-game management.

The benefits showed on Sunday in the comfort with which his players eased through a number of different formations during the second half. Once the Christmas bustle is over, though, our title rivals, previously involved in European competitions, will have similar free time to recover and prepare for the rigours of the Premier League.

Following his winning strike last weekend Diego Costa has matched his league total for last season, and was of course recognised for his outstanding performances throughout November as the Blues hogged the honours with Premier League Manager, Player and Goal of the Month awards.


Premier League top scorers

Diego Costa (Chelsea)            12

Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal)         12

Sergio Aguero (Man City)       10

Romelu Lukaku (Everton)        9

Eden Hazard (Chelsea)             8

Christian Benteke (Palace)       8          

Jermain Defoe (Sunderland)     8

Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Man Utd)  8


Premier League most clean sheets

Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea)          8

Fraser Forster (Southampton)      6

David de Gea (Man Utd)             5

Hugo Lloris (Tottenham)             5

Artur Boric                                  4

Petr Cech (Arsenal)                     4

Lee Grant (Stoke)                        4



Our Italian head coach received Chelsea’s 13th Manager of the Month award, his second in a row. Compatriot Carlo Ancelotti was honoured four times during his stay at the Bridge.

Diego Costa supplanted October winner Eden Hazard in the player category (the Spain striker’s first award since August 2014), and Pedro’s stunner on the swivel against Spurs took the Goal of the Month honours.

Less welcome is the news there are now four Blues players – Diego Costa, David Luiz, Nemanja Matic and N’Golo Kante – who must avoid a yellow card in the next four games to escape a one-match suspension for accumulating five bookings this season. From 1 January five yellows results only in a warning from the FA.

Meanwhile the round two FA Cup replay between League One Peterborough and League Two Notts County has been moved for the purpose of live TV coverage to Tuesday 20 December at London Road (currently known as the ABAX Stadium). The winners earn a round three trip to Stamford Bridge on Sunday 8 January.

As ever, the loyalty and fervour displayed by travelling Chelsea fans these busy past few weeks has been wonderful, out-singing home stands wherever they may be. But Christmas is a time of compassion for others, and before the game tonight the Blues faithful are asked temporarily to set aside club loyalties and get behind Bradley Lowery, a very poorly young Black Cats supporter who tragically has just weeks to live.

Sunderland are enabling Bradley to fulfil his dream by making him mascot for the night and there are plans for Chelsea to be involved too. Visiting supporters are also invited to be part of this touching gesture by our Wearside hosts, so do make some noise if possible.

To mark the recent passing of our former winger Peter Brabrook, who played a small but vital role in our 1954/55 league championship triumph, the Chelsea players will wear black armbands this evening. All at Chelsea Football Club would like to extend our condolences and best wishes to Peter’s friends and family.


CHELSEA IN NUMBERS 

Diego Costa has scored five goals from his last six shots on target in the Premier League.

No team has conceded fewer Premier League goals than Chelsea (11). We have the best goal difference (+22), one better than Arsenal, five more than Liverpool and nine better than Manchester City and Tottenham.

Since the change to a back-three defence, we have won all nine Premier League games, scoring 23 goals and conceding two.

The Blues have made only nine changes to our starting XI in the Premier League overall this season; a league low.

Six Chelsea players have started all 15 Premier League games this season; Thibaut Courtois, Cesar Azpilicueta, Gary Cahill, N’Golo Kante, Eden Hazard and Diego Costa.

Antonio Conte’s side are still the only top-flight side yet to score or concede a headed goal this term.

A total of 14 opposition players have been booked this season in all competitions following fouls on Diego Costa.


MILESTONES

Cesar Azpilicueta’s next appearance will be 200th for the Blues in all competitions. He will be the 21st overseas player to reach that landmark for the club.

Diego Costa’s needs one goal to reach his half century for the Blues in all competitions. His 49 goals to date have come in 95 appearances.

Eden Hazard’s next goal will be his 50th in the Premier League. He will become only the fifth overseas Chelsea player to reach that landmark after Didier Drogba 104, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink 69, Gianfranco Zola 59 and Eidur Gudjohnsen 54.

If selected, Oscar will make his 100th Premier League start for the club.


SUNDERLAND IN NUMBERS

Formed 1879

Major trophies

6 League championships, last in 1936

2 FA Cups, last in 1973

1 FA Charity Shield in 1936

Sunderland’s last major piece of silverware was the FA Cup in 1973 when Ian Porterfield scored the winner for the Second Division side against Leeds.


Last season

Premier League - 17th

FA Cup - third round

League Cup - third round

Top scorer all competitions - Jermain Defoe 18

 Sunderland have kept one clean sheet in their last 16 Premier League games.

No Premier League side has won fewer that the Black Cats’ seven points from a possible 21 at the Stadium of Light this term. They have won their last two games there against Hull and Leicester, drawn one to West Brom and lost four against Middlesbrough, Everton, Crystal Palace and Arsenal.

Sunderland have won their last two Premier League home games - they haven’t won three in a row at the Stadium of Light since February 2012.

Sunderland have scored their last 20 Premier League penalties, dating back to 2011.


THE MAN IN THE MIDDLE

Neil Swarbrick is officiating his first Chelsea game of the season. His last Blues match was our 4-0 victory at Villa Park in April.

 

 

OTHERWISE ENGAGED

Sunderland’s Didier Ndong is suspended.

Diego Costa, David Luiz, N’Golo Kante, and Nemanja Matic have been shown four yellow cards this season. Any of them booked against Sunderland would be suspended for our next game at Crystal Palace.