Chelsea 7, Sunderland 2

Jan 18 2010 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal

JUST 40 minutes in at Stamford Bridge, with his Sunderland side already trailing 4-0, Steve Bruce changed formation to effectively make Darren Bent, one of the most prolific strikers in this season's Premier League, a supplementary right-back.

As tactical switches go, it was a long way from those Jose Mourinho perfected at the London ground.

Giving Bent the job of marking Ashley Cole was never likely to be more successful than asking the hapless Steed Malbranque to.

Bruce, though, had few options. His squad ravaged by injuries and suspension, when the Black Cats needed a substitution his cupboard was bare.

On the bench sat David Healy – a striker in whom the manager clearly has no faith, Fraizer Campbell – another forward in a game where Sunderland’s were redundant, Boudewijn Zenden – a valuable, experienced head were it not for the injuries which had limited his Wearside career to 118 minutes, and four youngsters whose entire first-team experience stretched to substitute appearances against Conference side Barrow.

If Sunderland’s promising start to the season is not to be squandered, reinforcements are badly needed in the last fortnight of the transfer window.

The Wearsiders’ luck with injuries has been almost as dire as their form in a run of one win from 12 league games.

However, keen students of Murphy’s Law will tell you the more vulnerable you leave yourself to injuries, the more you are likely to suffer them.

Danny Collins, Grant Leadbitter, Teemu Tainio – all could have strengthened this side.

Chelsea are comfortably the best team in the Premier League by virtue of being the only Big Four club not to have gone backwards this season.

Mismatches abounded, from Cole v Malbranque, to a super-confident Nicolas Anelka roaming free around a back four containing only one fit centre-half, to a midfield match-up between two players with a combined age of 39 and two with 183 caps between them.