Sunderland ended their long wait for a Premier League win with a deserved 1-0 victory over Chelsea at the Stadium of Light on Sunday, as Enzo Le Fee's first-half penalty settled a match the hosts controlled for long spells.

The breakthrough came in the 36th minute. Brian Brobbey, a constant threat to the Chelsea defence all afternoon, was brought down inside the area by Levi Colwill, and Le Fee stepped up to dispatch the spot-kick low into the bottom left corner, past goalkeeper Mike Penders.

It was a reward for an energetic first-half display from the Black Cats, who had arrived at the game on a worrying run of form. Their last Premier League victory had come against Fulham back in August, and Thursday night's Europa League defeat to Dinamo Zagreb had added to the pressure on the side.

Chelsea enjoyed the bulk of possession after the break and pushed hard for an equaliser, but the visitors struggled to turn their control of the ball into clear chances. Sunderland defended with discipline and organisation, and the closest Chelsea came late on was when Danny Welbeck nodded narrowly over the bar in stoppage time.

The result was Chelsea's fourth league defeat of the season and it cost them their place in the top four. Xabi Alonso's side dropped to fifth in the table on 16 points, while Sunderland climbed to 18th with eight points, moving off the bottom of the standings.

For Sunderland, the win was built on togetherness as much as quality. Le Fee, who scored the game's only goal, praised the spirit of the side after the match, and the roar at the final whistle reflected how much the three points meant to a crowd that had waited since August to celebrate a league win at home.

Chelsea, by contrast, will head into the international break with questions to answer. They arrived in the north east as favourites, but they were second best for much of the afternoon against a side fighting at the wrong end of the table. Alonso has now overseen four defeats in 10 league matches, and the London club's next league fixture, at home to Leeds United on Saturday 21 November, takes on added importance.

Sunderland's win also underlined the unpredictable nature of this Premier League season. A side that started the day among the bottom three outplayed a team chasing the Champions League places, and did so without needing to ride their luck. The penalty was the difference on the scoreboard, but the performance was the real story: Sunderland were the more dangerous side throughout the 90 minutes and were full value for the three points.