Chelsea’s win against Manchester United on matchweek nine moved us into the top four in the Premier League table. Sunday’s opponents Sunderland are bottom, with one win and two draws so far.

Head-to-head

This fixture has seen 124 goals scored in 34 Premier League matches, averaging 3.65 goals per game.

Our last victory at the Stadium of Light came in December 2016, when a goal from Cesc Fabregas just before half-time earned us a 1-0 win. We have played there only once since. In the home match in 2016/17, Chelsea won 5-1.

Last season’s defeat on the last day of the season was only our second in 14 Premier League visits to the Stadium of Light, where we have recorded 10 wins and two draws.

Chelsea are aiming to prevent the Black Cats recording a third consecutive league victory against us for the first time since a run of three between 1999 and 2001.

Head-to-head (all competitions)

Played: 127
Won: 61
Drawn: 22
Lost: 44

Last five meetings at the Stadium of Light

17 December 2013 | League Cup L 2-1 aet | Lampard
29 November 2014 | Premier League D 0-0
7 May 2016 | Premier League L 3-2 | Diego Costa, Matic
14 December 2016 | Premier League W 1-0 | Fabregas
24 May 2026 | Premier League L 2-1 | Palmer

Biggest win for each team:

Chelsea 7-2 Sunderland | 2009/10 | Premier League
Sunderland 4-0 Chelsea | 1909/10, 1912/13, 1934/35 | Division One
Chelsea's biggest win at Sunderland was 4-2 in the 2010/11 Premier League.

Chelsea stats

Since the September and October international break, Chelsea have won three of our four Premier League matches.

Chelsea are in the top three teams for goals scored in the Premier League this season. In nine matches we have scored 19 goals (the league average is 12.2) at an average of 2.1 per match.

The Blues have recorded the most shots on target in the Premier League this season (53), but faced the second most (50).

Chelsea have scored nine Premier League goals in the first five minutes of either half this season. No other team has more than three. The Blues have exceeded that tally only in 2008/09 (10) and 2024/25 (11).

Last week against Manchester United, Chelsea achieved our first clean sheet at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League since beating Brentford 2-0 in January.

With an average age of 23 years and 89 days, Chelsea named our joint-second youngest starting line-up in a Premier League match (also 23 years and 89 days against Newcastle United in October 2024). Only against Crystal Palace in December 2023 have we had a younger one (23 years and 21 days).

On 18 April 1931, at Sunderland’s Roker Park, Chelsea fielded our oldest-ever starting XI, averaging 31 years and 336 days, in a 2-0 defeat with David Calderhead as manager.

Morgan Rogers has become the first Chelsea player and second Premier League player to reach 10 goal involvements in all competitions this season (six goals, four assists), after Erling Haaland (13).

Chelsea had 39 touches in Man Utd’s box last week, more than we have managed in any other Premier League match this season.

Only Frank Lampard (41 from 48) has scored more Premier League penalties for Chelsea than Cole Palmer (19 from 21). Jorginho also scored 19 from his 22 attempts.

Romeo Lavia won possession 14 times against Manchester United, the most by a Chelsea player in a Premier League game since Lewis Hall against Fulham in January 2023 (also 14).

This season's Premier League stats

Most minutes played: Rogers 703, Palmer 701, Lacroix 634, Colwill 612, Neto 596
Most goals: Joao Pedro 5, Rogers 5, Neto 3, Palmer 3, Henderson 2, Lavia 1
Most assists: Joao Pedro 3, Palmer 3, Hato 2
Most touches in opposition box: Palmer 45, Rogers 45, Neto 38, Joao Pedro 35, Estevao 17
Most duels won: Rogers 56, Joao Pedro 45, Palmer 45, Colwill 36, Neto 35, Acheampong 34
Clean sheets: Penders 1+1 shared, Martinez 1 shared
Most fouls conceded: Palmer 11, Neto 10, Rogers 10, Colwill 8
Most interceptions: Fofana 15, Lavia 12, Lacroix 10, Caicedo 7
Most yellow cards: Rogers 3, Neto 2, Palmer 2
Red cards: Palmer 1

Milestones

If selected, Malo Gusto will make his 100th Premier League appearance.

Cole Palmer scored his 50th Premier League goal for Chelsea against Man Utd last week, on his 105th appearance. He is the third-fastest to reach the milestone for the Blues after Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (84 games) and Diego Costa (85). He is the 28th player in our history to score a half-century of league goals for the club.

Chelsea's all-time top league scorers

Bobby Tambling 164, Kerry Dixon 147, Frank Lampard 147, Roy Bentley 128, Jimmy Greaves 124, George Mills 118, Peter Osgood 105, Didier Drogba 104, George Hilsdon 99, Eden Hazard 85, Barry Bridges 80, Tommy Baldwin 74, Hughie Gallacher 72, Bob Whittingham 71, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink 69, Ron Tindall 67, Dick Spence 63, Clive Walker 60, John McNichol 59, Gianfranco Zola 59, Andy Wilson 58, Eidur Gudjohnsen 54, Jimmy Windridge 54, Dennis Wise 53, Diego Costa 52, Gordon Durie 51, Bob Turnbull 51, Cole Palmer 50

Sunderland stats

Last season

Premier League: Seventh
FA Cup: Lost 10 at Port Vale in the fifth round
League Cup: Lost on penalties at home to Huddersfield Town in the second round
Top scorer: Brian Brobbey 7

This season's Premier League stats

Most minutes played: Roefs 810, Xhaka 810, Le Fee 779, Sadiki 757
Most goals: Brobbey 3, Le Fee 2, Angulo 1, Isidor 1
Most assists: Angulo 1, Diarra 1, Le Fee 1, Meunier 1
Most touches in opposition box: Brobbey 35, Angulo 21, Le Fee 19, Sadiki 18
Most duels won: Mukiele 46, Ballard 45, Xhaka 45, Mandava 43, Le Fee 42
Clean sheets: Roefs 2
Most fouls conceded: Ballard 10, Brobbey 10, Mandava 10
Most interceptions: Mukiele 13, Mandava 12, Xhaka 10, Angulo 8
Most yellow cards: Ballard 2, Xhaka 2
Red cards: Alderete 1, Danso 1, Mandava 1

Sunderland have lost five of their past six Premier League matches, drawing the other. Their only league win this season was in August against Fulham. They are currently bottom with five points.

No Premier League side has failed to score at home more often than Sunderland in 2026 (eight matches). They are goalless in their last three at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland have won four points from their four home Premier League matches this term, with their one victory coming against Fulham in August. Since then they have lost to Arsenal and Brighton, and drawn with Leeds United.

Sunderland have conceded first in seven of their opening nine Premier League matches. The Black Cats are the only Premier League side yet to lead a league game at half-time.

Only Nottingham Forest (six) have scored fewer Premier League goals this season than Sunderland (seven), while only Crystal Palace (21) and Ipswich (18) have conceded more than the Black Cats (17).

Regis Le Bris' managerial record vs Chelsea

Won: 2
Drawn: 0
Lost: 0

Last five results

Lech Poznan (a) | Europa League | D 1-1
Leeds United (h) | Premier League | D 0-0
Brentford (h) | League Cup | W 3-2
Coventry City (a) | Premier League | L 3-1
Dinamo Zagreb (h) | Europa League | L 2-0

Last Premier League line-up

Coventry City 3-1 Sunderland
Saturday 31 October
Team (4-2-3-1): Roefs; Hume (Meunier 75), O'Nien, Alderete, Mandava; Xhaka (c), Sadiki (Fofana 75); Rigg (Talbi 57), Le Fee, Angulo (Isidor 57); Brobbey
Scorer: Le Fee pen 67
Sent off: Alderete 90+9

Discipline

Sunderland’s Omar Alderete is suspended following his red card against Coventry last week. In the Premier League, five yellow cards received before 19 league fixtures have been completed will result in a one-match suspension in the competition.

Match officials

Referee: Jarred Gillett
Assistants: Neil Davies, Nick Greenhalgh
Fourth official: John Busby
VAR: Nick Hopton
Assistant VAR: Wade Smith

Jarred Gillett’s only previous Blues game this season was our 6-3 Carabao Cup victory over Leeds in September.