Chelsea 's first goalless match

Chelsea failed to score for the first time this
season as they were held to a goalless draw by
Sunderland on Saturday Night Football .
Both sides hit the woodwork in the first half as
Willian struck the post with a low shot and
Santiago Vergini saw an effort bounce off the
bar.
Sunderland continued to frustrate the Premier
League leaders after the break and held firm to
record their third draw in a row.
The stalemate sees Chelsea extend their
advantage at the top to seven points while
Sunderland move up to 13th.
The Black Cats were fully deserving of their
point too after an impressive defensive display
at the Stadium of Light.
While they invited pressure by sitting deep in
their own box at times, they always made life
difficult for Chelsea and presented them with
very few clear chances on goal.
The only time they were nearly caught out in the
first half was when Chelsea broke swiftly from a
free-kick and Willian struck a low shot against
the post from just outside the box.
Wilian was involved in another decent chance on
the half-hour mark after linking up with
Branislav Ivanovic on the right. The defender
continued his run into the box but saw his effort
deflected over the bar by Costel Pantilimon.
That, though, was to be Chelsea’s best opening
of the half as Sunderland continued to make it
difficult for the visitors and started to grow in
belief and confidence themselves.
Just moments after Ivanovic’s shot was saved,
the hosts spurned a great chance to take the
lead when Lee Cattermole's cross from the right
was deflected into the box and into the path of
Vergini, who hooked the ball over Thibaut
Courtouis but on to the bar.
The Black Cats continued to hold firm in the
second half and perhaps even had the better
chances to break the deadlock as Chelsea attacks
repeatedly broke down on the edge of the
Sunderland box.
Connor Wickham nearly caught Courtouis by
surprise with a snap shot before Adam Johnson
dragged an effort wide on his wrong foot when
he should have at least hit the target from
inside the area.
The visitors, who saw Diego Costa pick up a
booking that will keep him out of the midweek
match against Tottenham Hotspur, were largely
restricted to long-range shots, but none really
tested Pantilimon.
Jose Mourinho threw on Loic Remy and Didier
Drogba in a bid to force a late winner but
Sunderland were still able to snuff out all of
Chelsea’s attacks and hold on for a well deserved
draw.