Sunderland v Chelsea Match Preview

One win does not make a season. We all know that. But the 2-0 win over Manchester United on Saturday 31 October felt like a result we needed, and now comes the harder part: proving it was not a one-off.

On Sunday 8 November we travel to Sunderland, and I want to see how this team handles the afterglow.

Where we stand

The United win lifted us to fourth in the Premier League. We have 16 points from nine games and a goal difference of +4. United, by comparison, sit 17th on seven points, and the result deepened the pressure on their manager Michael Carrick.

It was not a classic. It was a game that turned, and we made it count. Morgan Rogers gave us the lead early in the second half, and Cole Palmer added a penalty later in the half. That penalty came after a challenge on Fofana, and Lisandro Martinez was shown a second yellow card for it. United finished with ten men.

Some will say we were helped by the red card. Fine. You still have to take the chance when it arrives, and we did. If you want the full story of that night, read our Chelsea 2-0 Manchester United match report.

The Xabi Alonso test

This is where Xabi Alonso earns his money. Beating a struggling side at home with the crowd behind you is one thing. Going away from home and doing the job again is another.

Fourth place is a good place to be, but it is also a place we can lose very quickly. The Blues need to treat Sunday as a game we are expected to win, and to handle that expectation properly. I don’t want to see any complacency. A side that has just climbed the table should not hand the momentum back.

Caicedo and team news

I can’t give you a confirmed team news picture for this game, and I won’t pretend otherwise. As things stand, I have no confirmed injury list and no confirmed word on Moises Caicedo’s availability for Sunday. Check the club’s official channels closer to the game.

What we do know is that Caicedo has been a talking point this season. He missed our 2-1 defeat away to Arsenal, and Alonso admitted he made a mistake by playing him against Brighton. In that 4-3 win Caicedo was substituted, and Alonso said taking him off was partly precautionary.

That tells me the manager is now cautious with him, and I’d rather he stayed that way. We need Caicedo fit and fresh across the winter, not rushed back for one more game. Our earlier piece on Alonso’s team news and who is fit is a reminder of how much the fitness picture can shift from one game to the next.

What I want to see

I want us to start properly. No slow first twenty minutes, no waiting for something to happen. The Manchester United win showed what this team can do when it stays patient and takes its moment. Now I want that same patience away from home, with a bit more control from the first whistle.

Palmer and Rogers will be the ones to watch, given they were the ones on the scoresheet last time out. I’d love to see both of them carry that form north.

I genuinely expect a tough afternoon. Nobody should assume this is easy. But I also expect us to go there and win it. Three points would keep us in the top four and show that the United result was a platform and not a blip.

For more on our recent games and what is coming next, browse the rest of our Match Reports, or look back at our preview of a tale of two transitions ahead of the United game.

Come on you Blues.