Sunderland beat Chelsea 1-0 at the Stadium of Light on Sunday, and fan YouTubers on both sides went into the international break in very different moods. Enzo Le Fée scored a first-half penalty after Levi Colwill was penalised for bringing down Brian Brobbey. Sunderland are off the bottom with their first Premier League win in eight, and Chelsea drop out of the top four.
Sunderland fans: three points and the three Ps
Sunderland went in under pressure. Fans had been unhappy with recent displays against Coventry and in the defeat to Dinamo Zagreb, and both rooms called this a crossroads for Régis Le Bris before kick-off. They also lost captain Granit Xhaka to an injury early on, with Jules Ahoka coming on.
Themadmistake asked the team for "the three Ps", pride, passion and performance, before he got to the ground. By full-time he had all three on the list: "That is a massive three points. That is just the tonic we needed." He gave his man of the match to Ahoka, and still had time for a parting line: "Chelsea will be feeling the blues today".
Only Fools and SAFC reported an atmosphere outside that was "flat as a fart". It improved. Late on, with Chelsea pushing, he called it "proper squeaky bum time", then cheered the whistle when it finally came.
Michael Bowers put the relief in calendar form: "Haven't tasted that since what, the end of bloody August." He picked a different hero: "I thought Sadiki was probably my man of the match." He also said Forest's win over City on Saturday "showed the blueprint".
Brian Brobbey against Chelsea's centre-backs
The penalty came after a long fight between Brobbey and Colwill, with both players holding each other's shirt. Referee Jarred Gillett gave it, and Le Fée sent Mike Penders the wrong way. The Guardian noted that Le Fée missed a penalty against Arsenal at the same ground in September. This one was never in doubt. Colwill was taken off at half-time.
TheOtherSideOfTheCoin said the penalty didn't look like one to him, then admitted the bigger problem: "Sunderland deserved the victory. Kudos to Sunderland." He also blamed the set-up: "there was no need for three-man midfield against Sunderland."
Chelsea fans: what was the plan?
Chelsea fans spent less time on the penalty than on Xabi Alonso. Younes Talks Chelsea had warned before the game that he didn't want to see "charity FC". He got it anyway. His main charge was tactical: "We're showing up to Sunderland with a false nine." He summed up the afternoon with "Someone explain to me what Chelsea was trying to do cuz I can't work it out." Romeo Lavia got the day's exemption: "Shout out to Lavia."
Jarred Gillett: united both fanbases
Chelsea also wanted a penalty earlier, when Cole Palmer went down under a challenge from Luke O'Nien. VAR ruled the contact was outside the box. HarryCFXI called it "one of the worst refereeing performances I've seen in quite some time", and said fans of both clubs ended up chanting at the referee. He was not using it as an excuse: "I think the worst part is I'm not surprised."
Sunderland's channels were no happier with the referee. Only Fools and SAFC said Gillett is "the worst referee in the Premier League", which may be the only thing both fanbases agree on this season.
Sunderland and Chelsea: two weeks to think about it
Sunderland go into the break off the bottom, with a clean sheet and Le Bris under less pressure. Chelsea go into it outside the top four, with Palmer left out of England's squad and fans asking questions about the manager. One fanbase has two weeks to enjoy it. The other has two weeks to rewatch the Colwill incident.