Richard Keys takes aim at Chelsea after what Sunderland did vs Aston Villa
Sunderland continued to build momentum in the Premier League after a statement performance against Aston Villa.
There was not much to choose between the two sides in the first half before a critical turning point at the Stadium of Light.
Reinildo was sent off for Sunderland after kicking out at Matty Cash, having been pushed to the ground by the right-back.
Regis Le Bris’ side then came from behind to secure a 1-1 draw, and Richard Keys has offered Chelsea some advice after the result.
Sunderland show Chelsea how to play with 10 men
Wilson Isidor was Sunderland’s saviour after scoring the equaliser to secure a valuable point against the Villans.
Le Bris’ men were going just swimmingly in the opening 45 before Reinildo’s rash reaction got him sent off for Sunderland.
It would have been fair to assume that the Black Cats would be a weaker side without the left-back, but that was far from the case.
Indeed, whatever Le Bris said to his players at half-time paid off as they came racing out of the blocks to pummel Villa.
- Sunderland had 14 shots
- The Black Cats had a higher xG than Aston Villa: 1.05 vs 0.71
- Sunderland had four shots on target to Villa’s two
The Wearsiders almost took the lead through Omar Alderete, whose superb header rattled Emi Martinez’s bar.
Those watching could have been forgiven for thinking that Sunderland had the extra man, and Keys backed up that point with his comments.
“Are you watching Chelsea?” Keys said via X on 21 September.
“Sunderland are showing how you play with 10. They haven’t surrendered.”
Regis Le Bris teaches Enzo Maresca a lesson at the Stadium of Light
Chelsea suffered the worst possible start to their clash with Man United on Saturday, with Robert Sanchez sent off after just five minutes.
As expected, the Blues dropped off after Maresca withdrew Pedro Neto and Cole Palmer to favour a defensive formation.
Ruben Amorim’s men were able to take advantage of having an extra man and took a two-goal lead into halftime.
However, the Blues offered little to no threat until late in the game when Trevoh Chalobah headed home past Altay Bayindir.
- Chelsea had 58.8 per cent possession
- The Blues had five shots
- Only one of those was on target
By contrast, Sunderland were absolutely irresistible with 10 men and arguably played even better despite the numerical disadvantage.
While it would have been easy for Le Bris’ side to sit back, instead, they played with a fierceness and intensity that Villa could not handle.
United were there for the taking at Old Trafford, but Maresca’s men were tame and threatless despite the need for goals.
Credit must be heaped on Le Bris, who took the game to Unai Emery and could have taken all three points.
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