Di Canio was subjected to a debut defeat as the new manager of Sunderland at the hands of Chelsea. Chelsea beat Sunderland 2-1 in a game involving two own goals.
All the three goals that were scored in the game carried a load of luck. Two of the goals were own goals, one by Cesar Azpilicueta of Chelsea and then Matthew Kilgallon of Sunderland both scored in their own nets.
Chelsea made five changes to their starting line-up given that this was their fifth game in just nine days and they have a grueling set of fixtures yet to be played.
The first 45 minutes of the game was very open with Sunderland playing very well under their new boss. The Black Cats were unable to convert their chances which cost them heavily.
Sunderland came close to taking the lead in the third minute but a little bit of selfish play cost them the goal. Sunderland kept passing the ball around and had a lot of meaningful possession but lacked the cutting edge.
The Chelsea midfield had the likes of Eden Hazard, Oscar and Juan Mata but they were not able to combine well and lacked creativity.
Both the Chelsea goals came in the second half sending them up in the table into third placed above Tottenham Hot Spurs who drew their game against Everton. Rafa Benitez’s Blues looked shaky and were not at their flowing best but still emerged victorious.
All the three goals scored carried an element of fortune. Sunderland and Chelsea both scored own goals before center back Branislav Ivanovic redirected a miss-hit from David Luiz’s to secure all three points and strengthen their chance to qualify for Europe.
The chance of beating relegation and staying up for Sunderland has become even grimmer, while the win for Chelsea has given the much needed impetus to fight for a Champions League spot.