“They’re Going Nowhere”- Paul Merson Delivers Surprise Sunderland Prediction After Chelsea Defeat”

Paul Merson: “No Chance” Sunderland Go Down After Stunning Chelsea Win

Paul Merson has praised Sunderland’s counter-attacking brilliance and insists there is “no chance” they will be relegated from the Premier League this season after watching Régis Le Bris’ side shock Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Speaking on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday, Merson was full of admiration for Sunderland’s organisation, discipline, and energy following their 2–1 victory in west London — their first win at Stamford Bridge since 2014.

“Sunderland are brilliant on the counter-attack,” Merson said. “They defend well, the goalkeeper is solid, and they’ve got legs all over the pitch.

In the second half, I can’t remember Chelsea’s keeper making a save. They were outstanding. There’s no chance they’re getting relegated — they’ll cause teams problems.”

The result lifted Sunderland to second place in the Premier League table with 17 points from their opening nine games — a remarkable achievement for a newly promoted side.

While Merson was effusive in his praise for Sunderland, he was far less impressed by Chelsea’s display, accusing Enzo Maresca’s team of running out of ideas as they struggled to break down the visitors’ compact defensive shape.

“Chelsea ran out of ideas,” he added. “They had winger after winger, but half of them don’t take anyone on. Pedro looked lost as a number 10. They struggled and were pretty poor.”

Merson also criticised Chelsea striker Marc Guiu, who had earlier been recalled from a short loan spell at Sunderland but made little impact against his former club.

“I was really impressed with Sunderland today — not Chelsea,” Merson said. “Guiu played up front and probably touched the ball nine or ten times.

You can’t have that in a team that’s supposed to dominate possession. They badly need Delap back — they need a focal point.”

Maresca: “We Were Not Good Enough”

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca admitted his side were second best after their 2–1 defeat to Sunderland. The Blues took an early lead through Alejandro Garnacho, but Wilson Isidor equalised before half-time.

Despite controlling possession after the break, Chelsea failed to penetrate Sunderland’s organised defence and were punished in stoppage time when Chemsdine Talbi scored from Brian Brobbey’s clever assist.

Maresca accepted that his side’s defending for the decisive goal was poor and admitted Chelsea fell short overall.

“In general, we were not good enough,” Maresca said. “In the Premier League, when you’re not good enough, you know the consequences.

I’ve said before — if you can’t win, it’s important not to lose. The second goal wasn’t even a transition; it was a long ball behind where we had a 2-v-1 and didn’t defend properly.”

He continued:

“The first goal came from a throw-in — it’s difficult because they bring six or seven players into your six-yard box. But overall, we didn’t do well enough.

We lacked creativity, didn’t win enough duels or second balls, and when we got into good areas, our crosses weren’t of the right quality. We have to do better.”