A lot can change in five-and-half months, but as an early winter chill descended on Wearside this week – both meteorologically and metaphorically – Sunderland were determined that some things should remain the same.
Just as they had beaten Chelsea on the final day of last season in May to ensure European qualification for the first time in 53 years, they did so again on Sunday to lift themselves off the bottom of the Premier League. The real triumph was that a patched-up defence, without the injured Dan Ballard and the banned Omar Alderete, kept Chelsea at enough distance to allow Robin Roefs a tranquil afternoon. Chelsea may be developing into a chaotic must-watch under Xabi Alonso but they were subdued here, and fall out of the top four.
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