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Sunderland's Fabio Borini deals huge blow to Chelsea title bid Sunderland's Fabio Borini deals huge blow to Chelsea title bid
(about 1 hour later)
Fabio Borini may never eclipse this contribution as a Liverpool player. The Italian loanee edged up to the penalty, awarded harshly against César Azpilicueta eight minutes from time, to ease the ball beyond Mark Schwarzer and, in breathing life into Sunderland's desperate attempt to avoid relegation, handed his parent club the initiative in the title race. The Premier League is Liverpool's to claim. Fabio Borini may never eclipse this contribution as a Liverpool player. The Italian loanee edged up to the penalty, awarded harshly against César Azpilicueta eight minutes from time and with those on the home bench still seething, to throw Mark Schwarzer off balance before easing the ball into the net. With that one conversion, while breathing life into Sunderland's desperate attempt to avoid relegation, the Italian simultaneously handed his parent club the initiative in the title race. The Premier League title is Merseyside's to claim.
This was a twist few could have foreseen. José Mourinho's 77-game unbeaten league run in this arena was curtailed by a former Chelsea player, the youth-team graduate who had since found opportunities so limited under Brendan Rodgers at Anfield that he was shipped out for the season in search of first-team football. The concession was too much for Mourinho's assistant, Rui Faria, who raged at the Wirral-based official, Mike Dean, and had to be restrained by three members of the home coaching staff on the touchline as emotion took over. This was a twist few had foreseen in a campaign that has already defied logic. José Mourinho's 77-game unbeaten league sequence in this arena had been curtailed by the division's bottom club, a team without a win in the elite since early February, with the decisive goal converted by a former Chelsea player. Borini is the youth-team graduate who, having meandered nomadically from Roma to Swansea to Liverpool in the years since departing Cobham, had found opportunities so limited under Brendan Rodgers that he was shipped out for the season in search of first-team football. Chelsea have used the loan market to inflict plenty of damage on other contenders, most notably via Romelu Lukaku. This was them being subjected to a dose of their own medicine.
His manager even yanked him back by his hair, the referee eventually sending Faria to the stand, but there was to be no salvation for the hosts. While Sunderland are now three points adrift with winnable games to come, their four-point haul from trips to the Etihad and now Stamford Bridge over the past few days has effectively transformed them into kingmakers in the title race. If Liverpool win at Norwich on Sunday lunchtime their advantage will be five points and even a Chelsea victory at Anfield next Sunday will not be enough. This felt decisive. The award of the penalty was too much for the hosts to take. Mike Dean had, at best, offered an erratic refereeing display, having opted against penalising Adam Johnson for planting his studs in Azpilicueta's chest in the first half, or to grant the hosts a spot-kick when Ramires leapt to convert from close-range only to be edged away by Seb Larsson. The official had also turned a blind eye to the Brazilian's apparent retribution, an arm flung back at Larsson, but this was an afternoon of choked penalty appeals – there were heated cries for handball against Marcos Alonso – until an assistant referee raised his flag nine minutes from the end. By then, after the drip feed of perceived injustices, Dean's authority felt undermined.
This had been the first of a critical cluster of fixtures likely to determine whether Mourinho's first campaign back at Chelsea can end up lined with silverware. Atlético Madrid await at the Vicente Calderón on Tuesday in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final, a tie that will conclude after Chelsea have visited Liverpool. The management had been forced to consider the schedule to come when determining their selection, though their most notable omission here, Petr Cech, had been born of a virus. The goalkeeper had awoken feeling under the weather. His availability in midweek is not in doubt. Azpilicueta's foul on Jozy Altidore was not clearcut, the linesman's consideration perhaps swayed by the fact the full-back had never managed to recover his poise having initially slipped on the touchline to liberate the forward. He slipped again as he closed down on the American with contact unclear, though the decision did prompt flashbacks to Ramires's stumble under pressure from Steven Reid that had earned a stoppage time reprieve in the home draw with West Bromwich Albion back in November.
In his absence, the hosts lacked some of their characteristic stinginess at the back. Schwarzer had not featured previously in the Premier League for the club, becoming their oldest top-flight player here, at 41 years and 195 days, with the Australian's rustiness after a season on the sidelines perhaps to be expected. Sunderland, trailing to Samuel Eto'o's early volley, sensed some vulnerability and duly prospered. Chelsea were apoplectic, their title challenge wrecked by Borini's calm finish. Rui Faria's livid reaction on the touchline once the penalty had been converted reflected exasperation, though the fact it took three of the coaching staff to restrain him and usher him down the tunnel made it feel utterly shameful. Mourinho even tugged his compatriot back by the hair to prevent him escaping Phil Dowd, the fourth official, and confronting Dean face to face. The referee merely sent the assistant to the stand. His sanction will be hefty.
When Marcos Alonso was allowed to amble unnoticed to the edge of the penalty area to collect Sebastian Larsson's corner Chelsea were undone. The full-back's volley was pushed out weakly by Schwarzer, perhaps unsighted by the bodies in the six-yard box, with Connor Wickham reacting smartly to clip in the equaliser. It was the first time in 840 minutes across all competitions that Chelsea had shipped at home, a run stretching back to Manchester United's visit in January, and the setback left the home side flustered. Like Manchester City on Wednesday, they may have been lulled into an early sense of security as Eto'o lost Lee Cattermole at Willian's corner to prod in his 12th home goal for the club. The possibility of Ramires's season also now being over for the glance back and swing at Larsson will depend upon whether Dean witnessed the incident clearly. He had seemed well positioned but waved away Larsson's protests. If sanctioned retrospectively, the Brazilian will receive a four-game ban for his second red card offence of term, both within a little over a month. He had felt a pivotal player for the trip to Anfield next weekend though, in reality, if Liverpool prevail at Carrow Road on Sunday then the gap to second place will be five points and Rodgers' team will retain the initiative even if they are beaten by Mourinho. More pertinent will be the ramifications of this result for victors and vanquished in the weeks ahead.
Once parity had been restored, the home side whipped up more concerted pressure. Branislav Ivanovic headed another corner down and the ball struck Vito Mannone and reared up to the bar before the goalkeeper recovered to claim. Chelsea must summon a response at Atlético Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday, trying to blot out the memory of the lead that was surrendered so wastefully here. Samuel Eto'o had eased too simply away from Lee Cattermole to convert Willian's corner and, even if Connor Wickham's conversion from close range after Mark Schwarzer's poor handling restored parity, there had been other opportunities to forge ahead. Yet Vito Mannone turned Branislav Ivanovic's header on to the crossbar, then denied Nemanja Matic and Mohamed Salah. After the interval, chances were flashed wide until André Schürrle drew a fine save from the Italian.
Nemanja Matic and Mohamed Salah were denied before Willian had a close-range attempt blocked, the ball looping up invitingly for Ramires with the goal gaping only for the midfielder to mistime his jump and steer his header wide. The miss infuriated the Brazilian, his temper frayed to the extent that he glanced back and then appeared to fling an arm out at Larsson, who had spent the afternoon snapping at his heels. Sunderland were livid the apparent offence went waved away, though the referee had been a few yards away and staring straight at the two players. The profligacy was just as costly as the flashes of defensive vulnerability with Wickham's goal the first reward for a visiting team in this arena for 840 minutes, stretching back to Manchester United's visit in January. The virus that had sidelined Petr Cech will not prevent him featuring in Madrid, and that constitutes cause for relief given the Australian veteran, Chelsea's oldest Premier League player at 41 years 195 days, was understandably rusty throughout. Too much of the home side's display seemed uncharacteristic.
Time will tell if that incident is revisited by the authorities. Sunderland might concede this was freakish as well. Their last league win had been at St James' Park on 1 February, a distant if glorious memory, and it had been on home games against Cardiff City, West Brom and Swansea City that they had pinned their faint hopes of survival. Now, having climbed to within three points of Norwich, hope is renewed even if there will be expectation when the Welsh club visit the Stadium of Light next weekend. "Probably we accept we are the smaller team in matches like this," said Gus Poyet, whose team had come so close to winning at Manchester City last Wednesday. "We play Cardiff next week. How are we going to convince everyone in England we're the smallest team in England? No chance.
Ramires's frustration may have been more of a belief Larsson had impeded him as he jumped to convert the opportunity just before the break, with Chelsea's mood hardly improved by Adam Johnson's chest-high lunge on Azpilicueta that also prompted no sanction. They craved a lead upon which they might cling more persuasively second time round, the sight of Eto'o curling just wide of the far post after a rapid break downfield early in the second period serving as a reminder of their potent threat. "Maybe we're the better team. Are we? It's a mental thing. The strongest team mentally will go and win the game. This whole relegation battle is incredible, heart-breaking, difficult, but we're going to keep fighting. We look a completely different team to last Wednesday afternoon, but I just want to keep this level of performance from now on in." They will need just that if they are to achieve their season's objective. Chelsea will need the pressure to choke Liverpool at the last if they are to revive their own aspirations to regain the title. The advantage lies with Liverpool.
Sunderland had arrived prone, for all their heroics at the Etihad stadium. They are bottom of the division, without a win in the league since defeating Newcastle at St James' Park on 1 February, a distant if still glorious memory for their supporters. Their more realistic opportunities for points had appeared to be the visits of Cardiff, West Bromwich Albion and Swansea to the Stadium of Light, yet they worked feverishly here to suffocate the home side's intent, the niggling fouls heightening the local support's exasperation. Demba Ba's introduction reflected an increased sense of desperation, with the forward's first involvement a sharp exchange with Willian before he slipped in attempting to convert the centre.
The pressure was frenzied as the substitutes were flung on, Fernando Torres injecting zip to the hosts' approach to contrast with Ba's brawn, yet the opportunities were glimpses of goal through a red and white wall.
Then came Jozy Altidore's break, Azpilicueta's slip, Faria's rush of blood and, potentially, the title race's decisive surprise.