Chelsea Player Ratings vs. Sunderland: Embarrassing Blues Season Comes to Fitting End

Chelsea fell to Sunderland 2–1 in the final game of the season to tie the bow on a horrid Premier League campaign in which the Blues failed to qualify for European soccer in 2026–27.

The Blues had a chance to qualify for the Europa League with a win and a combination of results, but it was all Sunderland from the start, and Trai Hume opened the scoring for the hosts 25 minutes in. Things got even worse for Chelsea soon after the restart, when Malo Gusto deflected a Brian Brobbey shot towards his own-goal, doubling Sunderland’s lead.

Cole Palmer scored soon after to give Chelsea some hope, but that quickly vanished when Wesley Fofana got sent-off, condemning the Blues to play the final half hour with 10-men and essentially ending their comeback attempt.

Sunderland did what Chelsea couldn’t, and the Black Cats will play in the Europa League next season. Meanwhile, one of the worst seasons in Chelsea’s recent history ends with a 10th place finish in the Premier League. Xabi Alonso will inherit a side devoid of European soccer and in dire need of a savior.

The One Thing We Can’t Ignore

On a day where Chelsea had a chance of rescuing something from an otherwise dreadful season in the form of Europa League qualification, the Blues squandered that opportunity with a feeble performance that perfectly encapsulated their 2025–26 version.

Any positive thoughts from Chelsea’s first Premier League win in over two months last time out quickly vanished as McFarlane’s men struggled to string together more than five passes in the opening exchanges, unable to bypass Sunderland’s suffocating press.

But aside from the hosts’s energetic performance in an effort to secure European qualification themselves, Chelsea’s flaws were on full display at the Stadium of Light. A leaky, mistake-prone defense that makes it easy for opponents to generate danger; an unimaginative, sometimes stagnant midfield ;and a toothless attack incapable of being self-sufficient in front of goal. Oh, and the goalkeeper once again could’ve done more to deny the opener.

The drop in form of players that were key to Chelsea’s success not too long ago, such as Marc Cucurella, Moisés Caicedo and Cole Palmer is alarming. Incoming manager Xabi Alonso has a massive task ahead of him to try to fix a team that looks nothing if not broken.

The other results Chelsea needed in order to qualify for the Europa League materialized, but instead of seizing the opportunity, the Blues looked more interested in the season simply ending. On a day were Chelsea could’ve secured Europa League qualification, they failed to even secure passage for the Conference League, dropping to 10th on the final Premier League table, a place fitting their mediocre, subpar campaign.

Chelsea Player Ratings vs. Sunderland (3-4-2-1)

Cole Palmer, Pedro Neto — Cole Palmer (left) got one back for Chelsea. | Chelsea Football Club/Chelsea FC/Getty Images

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: Robert Sánchez—7.0: Left plenty of space in the near post and his poor positioning contributed to Sunderland’s opener. Made some fine saves later on, but the damage was done.

CB: Wesley Fofana—5.1: Two avoidable fouls resulted in him getting sent off just when it looked like Chelsea were starting to take control of the game.

CB: Levi Colwill—6.7: Had a couple of key interventions and was far and away Chelsea’s best defender. Still, he struggled against Sunderland’s press, much like the entirety of the Blues's backline.

CB: Jorrel Hato—6.2: Sluggish in possession, leading to a number of dangerous turnovers he was lucky didn’t result in anything more. Did well in his defensive duties.

RWB: Malo Gusto—6.0: Was fine during the first half, floating a perfect cross Pedro failed to convert into the equalizer, but things unravelled for Gusto in the second half, scoring an unflattering own-goal to finish burying Chelsea’s season.

CM: Enzo Fernández—6.6: Not the best of showings from the Argentine, who struggled to receive the ball in advantageous positions in the first half. Improved in the second half once he was positioned on the left with the freedom to drift slightly central.

CM: Moisés Caicedo—6.7: Another quiet display from the Ecuadorian, who failed to assert the level of dominance in midfield he routinely displayed during the first half of the season.

LWB: Marc Cucurella—6.3: A performance that sums up his second half of the season. Ineffective in attack and his back was constantly targeted on the other end, with loose marking and deficient positioning being a constant.

AM: Pedro Neto—7.8: His deliveries from the wing were Chelsea’s main source of danger, in a solid showing from the Portugal international. He was sacrificed and substituted after Fofanas’s dismissal.

AM: Cole Palmer—7.5: A passenger for much of the day, disappearing for long stretches of the match. He then inspired Chelsea’s minor reaction with a strike from distance that Robin Roefs made a mess off and at least looked like the only played desperate to make something happen late.

ST: João Pedro—7.1: Barely got any service, making the majority of his contributions closer to the halfway line than Sunderland’s box. The one clear chance he got he couldn’t capitalize on with a poor header.

SUB: Reece James (53’ for Hato)—6.5: Not much he could do to make an impact given Fofana’s red card came soon after his introduction.

SUB: Trevor Chalobah (65’ for Neto)—6.5: Made some good recoveries in space when Chelsea were completely on the attack searching for a late equalizer.

SUB: Josh Acheampong (85’ for Gusto)—6.0

SUB: Liam Delap (85’ for Caicedo)—6.0

Subs not used: Filip Jörgensen (GK), Andrey Santos, Jesse Derry, Liam Delap, Dário Essugo, Alejandro Garnacho.

What These Ratings Tell Us

Enzo Fernández potentially played his final game for Chelsea. | Chelsea Football Club/Chelsea FC/Getty Images

It was a rather unremarkable performance from Chelsea captain Enzo Fernández. In what could be his final game for the Blues given the amount of uncertainty surrounding his future, the first marquee signing of the BlueCo project couldn’t help to have a tangible contribution to Chelsea’s European competition charge.
Cole Palmer and Moisés Caicedo have been criticized for their subpar level for months now. Marc Cucurella has gone mostly under the radar, but his drop in form is just as worrying, and he was once again poor on Sunday. Helping the trio rediscover their best must be one of Alonso’s biggest priorities upon arrival, though, it’s yet to be seen if the Spaniard will continue with the club.
Chelsea’s season started with former manager Enzo Maresca pleading for a new center back signing. It ended with a forgettable performance from the trio of central defenders McFarlane included in his starting XI. Jorrel Hato looked overwhelmed and Wesley Fofana was sent-off. It was Levi Colwill, who was unavailable for the entirety of the season, who was the best center back on the day, highlighting what Chelsea missed and failed to replace. Addressing the need of a quality center back must be a priority during the transfer market.

The Numbers That Explain Chelsea’s Costly Yet Merited Defeat

Defeat at the Stadium of Light.#CFC | #SUNCHE pic.twitter.com/9Pli3o3u3y
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) May 24, 2026

On a day Chelsea needed to win to secure European qualification, they manufactured an xG of just 0.90 and had three shots on goal. The Black Cats, meanwhile, had an xG of 1.93.
Sunderland meanwhile did their job and were the better side. Although Chelsea had better possession, the hosts had 35 touches in Chelsea’s box compared to 17 from the visitors.
Chelsea won just one of their final nine Premier League games, falling from the Champions League places to 10th on the table.

Statistic	Sunderland	Chelsea
Possession	45%	55%
Expected Goals (xG)	1.93	0.90
Total Shots	21	8
Shots on Target	6	3
Big Chances	2	2
Passing Accuracy	83%	83%
Fouls Committed	15	12
Corners	6	2

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