Former Chelsea captain John Terry strongly criticised the team's performance after their 1-0 Premier League defeat at Sunderland. It was Chelsea's fourth league loss of the season and the third match in which Xabi Alonso's side had failed to score.
The former defender was particularly critical of the defence, judging the defenders' football to have been unacceptably poor. Levi Colwill was given a low rating of 3 by the publication after struggling against Brian Brobbey and conceding a first-half penalty, before being substituted at half-time. The signing of Marco Palestra also proved disappointing: the Italian received the lowest rating of 2 for his uncertain defending and difficulty with the pace of the Premier League. Critics felt the team clearly missed the physical presence of Josh Acheampong. Wesley Fofana was the pick of the defence with a rating of 7 after dealing reliably with Brobbey, while Moises Caicedo (7) worked hard in midfield and later helped out in defence.
The attacking leaders also came in for criticism. Cole Palmer (4) had one of his worst games of the season, managing just one shot and creating no significant chances, while Morgan Rogers (5) struggled with the physicality of the contest and was fortunate not to receive a red card for a bad foul. The expert also questioned head coach Xabi Alonso's tactical decisions, which, as in Pedro Neto's case (5), left players without support in the final third.
Among the other match ratings, goalkeeper Mike Penders received 7 for two big saves, Jordan Henderson was given 5 for slow build-up play, and substitute Estevao stood out with a rating of 7.5.
