Sunderland
1-3
Chelsea

Johnson (66')

FT(HT: 0-2)

Torres (11', 45' pen.), Mata (49')

Build-up

Team News: Steven Fletcher missing for Sunderland

By Joe Fish, Reporter | 08 December 2012

Team News: Fletcher missing for Sunderland

Sunderland are without top scorer Steven Fletcher for the visit of Chelsea to the Stadium of Light, while Frank Lampard returns to the Blues bench after a calf injury.

Sunderland top scorer Steven Fletcher will miss this afternoon's visit of Chelsea after failing to shake off an ankle injury.

The £14m summer signing from Wolverhampton Wanderers was forced off at half time in the 2-1 defeat to Norwich City, and his place in the Sunderland attack will be taken by Connor Wickham.

John O'Shea returns at centre-half in the only other change to a Black Cats lineup that fell to a fourth defeat in six games at Carrow Road last week.

Chelsea themselves are on a poor run of form, having failed to win in seven Premier League matches, including three fixtures under new manager Rafael Benitez.

The Spaniard continues with Fernando Torres up front and has selected another compatriot, Oriol Romeu, to replace the suspended John Obi Mikel in midfield.

Victor Moses is preferred to Oscar in Chelsea's attacking midfield trio, while Frank Lampard is included among the substitutes after recovering from a calf problem.

Sunderland: Mignolet; Bardsley, O'Shea, Cuellar, Rose; Larsson, Gardner; Johnson, McClean, Sessegnon; Wickham

Chelsea: Cech; Ivanovic, Luiz, Cahill, Cole; Romeu, Ramires; Moses, Hazard, Mata; Torres