Keith Hackett – Sunderland claimed one of the shock results of the Premier League season on Saturday, defeating Chelsea 2-1 at Stamford Bridge in a dramatic encounter sealed by Chemsdine Talbi’s stoppage-time strike. The victory — inspired by goals from Wilson Isidor and Talbi — marked a memorable afternoon for the Black Cats and sent their travelling supporters into delirium. However, debate has since erupted over whether their late winner should have stood.
The decisive moment arrived deep into added time. After strong hold-up play from Brian Brobbey, the Dutch forward teed up Talbi on the edge of the box. The 21-year-old Moroccan midfielder struck first-time, firing low past Robert Sánchez to secure all three points for Ruben Amorim’s spirited side. Wild celebrations followed on the pitch and in the away end, with Sunderland’s players mobbing their hero in front of a stunned Chelsea crowd.
But in the hours after the game, former Premier League referee Keith Hackett raised doubts about the legitimacy of Talbi’s goal. Speaking to Football Insider (via the Sunderland Echo), Hackett argued that the strike should have been ruled out for offside, citing the positioning of defender Lutsharel Geertruida, who was standing close to Sánchez when the shot was taken.
“While I don’t like to see goals ruled out for offside, I am surprised the referee wasn’t asked to review the incident on the pitch-side monitor,” Hackett said. “In my opinion, the Sunderland player standing in an offside position impacts the Chelsea goalkeeper, and the goal should have been disallowed.”
Hackett referred to Law 11 of the IFAB rulebook, which defines offside interference as “preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent’s line of vision.” He added: “It’s my belief that the player in an offside position does impact the goalkeeper’s ability to see the ball, and therefore the goal should have been chalked off.”
Despite the controversy, Sunderland’s dramatic victory will go down as one of their finest results in recent years. The win lifted them to second place in the Premier League, temporarily above Manchester City and Liverpool — an extraordinary achievement for a side promoted only two years ago.
While Chelsea were left to rue defensive lapses and VAR inaction, Sunderland can reflect on a day that underlined their growing belief under Amorim. For Talbi and his teammates, the debate over offside won’t dampen the celebrations — or the statement their performance made at Stamford Bridge.
