Credit: talkSPORT on YouTube/Imago

Jacob Raw

Mon 27 October 2025 11:15, UK

Sunderland defied the odds when they beat Chelsea 2-1 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

After the upset win, Sunderland have boosted their hopes of Premier League survival, with a performance that looked like the Black Cats are more worried about European football.

Kyril Louis-Dreyfus expressed his delight at Sunderland‘s win when he sent the Mackems a message on social media, as the owner seems to have made several masterstroke signings this summer.

Sunderland’s performance has been hailed already, but now Ally McCoist has shared his interesting angle on what Regis Le Bris‘ side did against the Blues.

Ally McCoist shocked by Sunderland’s tactical fluidity vs Chelsea

Against Chelsea, Sunderland opted to play an unusual 5-4-1 formation, which on paper seemed a little negative at the time.

However, Sunderland would only be in a five-at-the-back formation when out of position, as the Black Cats were set up with four in defence when attacking.

• Le Bris often uses a 4-2-3-1 formation
• Sunderland used three centre-backs in Dan Ballard, Nordi Mukiele, and Lutsharel Geertruida against Chelsea
• The Black Cats only managed 32% possession against the Blues

On Monday, McCoist was chatting with Jeff Stelling and Micky Gray live on talkSPORT, as he explained how Sunderland’s tactical flexibility “impressed” him as he watched on at Stamford Bridge.

McCoist said: “I was impressed, really organised, and you say that but you don’t want to take anything away from the flair they’ve got, particularly in forward areas.

“The way they set up, as soon as they lose the ball, back into a back five, really organised, solid, difficult to get through.

“Then, as soon as they get the ball, they go far more expansive with a back four. I really enjoyed watching them.”

After the Chelsea game, it’s clear that Le Bris will continue to chop and change the way Sunderland play against specific teams.

• Read more: Sunderland’s Chris Rigg spotted doing something incredible to teammate amid Chelsea scenes

Regis Le Bris will continue to adapt at Sunderland

Even against Manchester United, Sunderland started with a 4-2-3-1 formation. The game at Old Trafford could have been a learning curve for Le Bris, as he decided to change things up for the first time against Chelsea.

Sunderland have also started with a 4-3-3 formation, which includes a third midfielder who is often given license to roam further forward, making it just a slight tweak from Le Bris’s most used formation.

In Sunderland’s next 10 Premier League games, the Black Cats face teams in the “big six” on four different occasions, and it would be no surprise to see Le Bris use a similar formula to the one seen against Chelsea.

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