Sunderland climbed off the bottom of the Premier League table on Sunday, beating Chelsea 1-0 at the Stadium of Light to end a seven-game winless run in the league.

Enzo Le Fee scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot in the 36th minute, sending Chelsea goalkeeper Mike Penders the wrong way after Levi Colwill was judged to have brought down Brian Brobbey inside the area.

It was Sunderland's first league win since August, and it moved them up to 18th in the table, one point from safety. Chelsea, meanwhile, slipped to fifth after a defeat that left them well below their best on Wearside.

Le Fee keeps his nerve from the spot

The penalty was the game's defining moment, and it was not without controversy. Brobbey drove at goal and went down as Colwill grappled with him inside the box, and referee Jarred Gillett pointed to the spot after a video review.

Le Fee stayed calm, placing his kick into the bottom-left corner while Penders dived the other way. Brobbey had been Sunderland's biggest threat all afternoon, using his strength to unsettle the Chelsea defence, and he was named player of the match.

Chelsea felt they should have had a penalty of their own in the 25th minute, when Cole Palmer went down under Luke O'Nien's challenge, but the video review ruled the contact had happened outside the penalty area.

Win comes at a cost for Le Bris

The victory came at a price. Captain Granit Xhaka lasted only around three minutes before hobbling off with a calf problem, and he has since been ruled out of Switzerland's upcoming Nations League fixtures.

Brobbey also limped off in the 77th minute with a muscle injury, leaving manager Regis Le Bris waiting on two of his most important players over the international break.

Le Bris had made eight changes to his starting side, keeping only Xhaka, Thomas Meunier and Robin Roefs from the midweek Europa League defeat by Dinamo Zagreb. The reshuffle worked: despite Chelsea having nearly 69 per cent of the possession, Sunderland created the better chances and held on with relative comfort.

What it means for both sides

For Sunderland, the result eases the pressure on Le Bris, who guided the club to a seventh-placed finish last season and had been given more time by the club despite the poor run. The win also gives the squad something to build on when the league resumes after the international break.

For Chelsea, it was another frustrating afternoon. They had been in the top four before kick-off, but they managed little in attack and dropped out of the Champions League places. They will use the two-week break to regroup before the season resumes on 21 November.