Chelsea goalkeeper Mike Penders urged his teammates to start afresh with fighting spirit.

In a key match of the 10th round of the 2026/27 Premier League season, Chelsea conceded a penalty in the first half but were unable to change the tide, ultimately losing 0-1 to Chelsea. Mike Penders stated that the players must use this international break to regroup and return with high morale to help the team regain its momentum.

In the 34th minute, Bryan Broby was brought down by Chelsea defender Colwell while dribbling forward, and the referee awarded Sunderland a penalty. Enzo Lefebvre then converted the penalty, giving Sunderland a 1-0 lead.

Chelsea continued to mount counter-attacking attacks, but were unable to change the score. Ultimately, Xabi Alonso's team lost 0-1 to Sunderland away from home.

Chelsea goalkeeper Mike Penders said: "Everyone is disappointed with this result. You know, it's never going to be easy to play at their home ground, and they played very strongly on the pitch."

"There was a very fast pace in the game, with both sides constantly switching between offense and defense on both sides of the field. Sometimes we were able to control the situation, but when we pushed the line forward, they became more aggressive, and their style of play was really difficult to deal with."

Mike Penders pointed out, "In the second half, their defense dropped very deep, with almost all of their players retreating behind the ball to defend. As a result, we gained more possession and had to keep pressing forward. We created some chances, but it was difficult to find suitable attacking space when all 11 of their players were back in defense."

“We never gave up, especially in the last 15 minutes, constantly passing the ball into the opponent's penalty area in an attempt to create threats, but ultimately it was not enough to achieve a result.”

After winning three and losing two of their last five matches, Chelsea have dropped to fifth place in the standings with 16 points, making the race for Champions League qualification increasingly difficult.

Furthermore, after this international break, Chelsea will host Leeds United in the next round of the Premier League.

Mike Penders also said, "If you look back at our recent games, you'll find that the team's overall performance has actually been quite good, and our tactical system has gradually improved. It's just a pity that we still lost this game. We've played many great games before, but after losing these matches, we must unite even more."

"Now that we're in the international break, we can take this opportunity to adjust our mindset and calm our emotions. When we rejoin the team, everyone must be in high spirits and give it their all again."

Image source: Internet