Sunderland vs. Chelsea: Score, Reaction from 2016 Premier League Match

Sunderland moved out of the Premier League relegation places thanks to a 3-2 win over Chelsea at the Stadium of Light on Saturday. Second-half goals from Fabio Borini and Jermain Defoe helped the Black Cats overturn a 2-1 deficit at the break.

It means Sunderland are now a point ahead of north-east rivals Newcastle United and have a game in hand. They can now assure safety by beating Everton at home on Wednesday.

That chance is just reward for the way they battled back, after Diego Costa and Nemanja Matic had netted for Chelsea either side of a Wahbi Khazri wonder-strike in the first half.

There was more heartbreak for Chelsea when captain John Terry was sent off late on in what could be his final game for the Blues.

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Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce was once again relying on Defoe for goals in front of a midfield combining brawn and skill in the form of Yann M'Vila and Jan Kirchhoff.

Chelsea were counting on Matic and John Obi Mikel to counter that duo and provide the cerebral Cesc Fabregas with the room to create, per BBC Sport:

It was Fabregas who put Chelsea in danger early when his errant pass inadvertently released Defoe. Centre-back Gary Cahill was booked after taking the striker out with a desperate lunge.

But once they settled, the Blues began tormenting the Sunderland defence. In particular, Fabregas' runs off Costa were causing all sorts of problems.

It was in the 14th minute that the latter gave Chelsea the lead. Costa reacted quickest when Cahill's stray pass deflected his way, before suavely tucking home a finish he made look simpler than it was.

The goal confirmed Costa's status as a true fox-in-the-box, according to Squawka:

Sunderland were nearly back in it when DeAndre Yedlin met Defoe's teasing cross, but Thibaut Courtois produced the block.

The home side needed some magic to beat Courtois, and that's what Khazri produced. His awesome, long-range volley was enthusiastically described on BBC's Final Score (h/t Match of the Day):

But Khazri's inspiration was wasted when Matic pounced in first-half stoppage time after racing to meet a Cesar Azpilicueta header before slotting calmly past Vito Mannone.

Sunderland's response was to up their physicality after the break. Typically, bullish midfielder Lee Cattermole soon found himself in the book after a robust challenge on Eden Hazard.

But the hosts' renewed vigour clearly rattled Chelsea, and Borini profited from some nerves at the back when his shot deflected off skipper John Terry for a priceless equaliser.

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That set the stage for Defoe to play hero. Yedlin crossed, and the veteran striker used a smart touch to set himself ahead of slamming the ball past a despairing Courtois.

Chelsea interim boss Guus Hiddink swapped out winger Willian for central creator Oscar, but Sunderland were beginning to look comfortable. The Blues mustered little in the final stages, even when granted five minutes of stoppage time.

But there was time for Terry to be dismissed after receiving his second yellow card. The defender's contract is up this summer, so this could be his final appearance for the Blues.

Post-Match Reaction

Speaking about Terry, Hiddink offered bleak news on the skipper's prospects of featuring again this season, according to Dan Levene of Eurosport:

Hiddink also rued the missed chances that always kept Sunderland in touch:

But Allardyce credited his own goalkeeper for keeping the Blues at bay, while also paying tribute to Defoe's value, per BBC Sport's Jonathan Jurejko and Phil Dawkes:

"

Our goalkeeper made two unbelievably good saves which has given us the platform to score two quick goals to get in front. Every man has done his job today and done it very well.

You give Jermain Defoe a chance and generally at least hits the target. We’ve crawled out of the bottom three by the number of goals that he’s scored. Without him I dread to think where we’d be as a team.

"

The collapse is another reminder of how much Chelsea have struggled as defending champions this season. As for Sunderland, if they stay up it will be on merit, based on their recent performances during the crunch period of the campaign.