“Play the game, not the occasion” is a truism that’s often wheeled out by coaches, ex-pros and pundits when a club is facing a fixture that could potentially change its trajectory and open up the kinds of possibilities that many might not even dare to comprehend.
I daresay we considered this approach ahead of last season’s playoff final at Wembley — the showdown that unlocked the next stage of this crazy Sunderland AFC platform game we seem to have been playing ever since — but whereas the Lads arguably didn’t perform at their best in a winning cause against Sheffield United, the opposite was true on a historic day as Chelsea were defeated and Régis Le Bris’ men carried this great club into the Europa League for the first time in our history.
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Yes, it is true and no, I can’t quite believe I’ve just written those words.
In seven years at Roker Report, I’ve written plenty of bombastic and occasionally misguided articles as Sunderland have gone through a seemingly countless number of ups and downs, but without sounding too corny, to report on a game during which we progressed to a new level and gave generations of fans a lifetime of memories is a real honour.
The match itself? Lively, feisty and played in the kind of classic end-of-season spirit that can either inspire or discourage a team.
Chelsea were average, truth be told, and Cole Palmer’s goal from a crisp shot that Robin Roefs may well have done better with, was their only tangible reward for another ropey performance. Lightweight in midfield and with virtually zero threat up top (Crespo, Drogba, Vialli, Delap — spot the odd one out from that otherwise esteemed list of Blues strikers) this was hardly the ideal way to wrap their season up and incoming boss Xabi Alonso will have plenty of paperwork in his in-tray, to put it mildly.
As for Sunderland? Wholehearted, full-blooded, and utterly determined to see the job through.
With Granit Xhaka and Noah Sadiki playing like men possessed and the defence — even in the absence of Omar Alderete — as stoic as ever, there was never any danger of the Lads losing the physical duels and therefore running the risk of being outmuscled, and that’s before you get to Enzo Le Fée, who was utterly brilliant once again.
As we’ve done so often at home this season, we set about the visitors, moved the ball with purpose and menace, and goals from Trai Hume and an unfortunate Malo Gusto error proved enough for Sunderland to see the job through, with European football being confirmed thanks to results elsewhere going our way. Did the performance merit the outcome? You bet it did, and nobody could claim otherwise.
Chelsea might’ve spent (wasted, in many cases) millions in building this squad under the increasingly unpopular stewardship of BlueCo, but there were no backwards steps taken by Sunderland on Sunday and to wrap the season up in such fashion felt utterly fitting. Few teams have had an easy ride here this season and many have found the going tougher than they perhaps bargained for — a massive compliment for how well we’ve done in our own backyard.
What I absolutely loved about this magnificent occasion was the mentality the players demonstrated and the sheer single-mindedness they showcased on the way to victory.
The atmosphere inside the Stadium of Light on Sunday, from the arrival of the team bus to the final knockings when the crowd dug deeply in order to help the Lads over the line, could’ve roused the dearly departed in the catacombs of Rome, but the players tapped into it, were clearly inspired by the backing of the red and white faithful, and held their nerve in order to secure the sweetest reward of all.
This is not only a Sunderland side to love: it’s a side that we’ve forced opponents to respect and the pundits to give its due.
The arguments about XG ratings, easy starts and how our form wasn’t sustainable might’ve gained traction amid the pockets of data worshippers on social media, but we’ve always known how good this side is and when the prize was greatest and the stakes highest, they pulled through for us once again, with the utterly inspirational Xhaka at the heart of proceedings once again.
History made.
A team and a head coach guaranteed to be remembered for all time, and we can break for the summer knowing that the future is perhaps more exciting than it’s ever felt — and that Sunderland AFC is a club on the rise once again.
It’s been a blast, everyone. See you in 2027/2026!
May 24 2026
Premier League
Stadium of Light
Sunderland 2 (Hume 25’, Gusto (og) 50’)
Chelsea 1 (Palmer 56’)
Sunderland: Roefs, Geertruida, Mukiele; O’Nien, Reinildo, Xhaka; Sadiki, Hume, Le Fée (Rigg ‘98); Angulo (Diarra 61’), Brobbey (Isidor 61’)
Subs Not Used: Ellborg, Cirkin, Alderete, Mayenda, Traoré
Chelsea: Sánchez, Fofana, Colwill; Hato (James 53’), Gusto (Acheampong 85’), Caicedo (Delap 85’); Fernández, Cucurella, Palmer; Neto (Chalobah 65’), João Pedro
Subs Not Used: Jörgensen, Derry, Essugo, Santos