Chelsea may have started the post-Jose Mourinho era with a comfortable victory against Sunderland - but the shadow of the former manager hung heavily over Stamford Bridge.
The Blues' fans delivered almost unanimous backing for Mourinho, with banners all around Stamford Bridge declaring support, while Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas were jeered before and during the game by supporters who clearly believe they have been central to the sacked manager's downfall.
Branislav Ivanovic's towering fifth-minute header put Chelsea on the way and victory was effectively confirmed against the struggling Black Cats when Pedro pounced on a loose ball before half-time.
Guus Hiddink, confirmed as Chelsea boss until the end of the season hours before the game, watched from the stands alongside former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba and club owner Roman Abramovich as Oscar added a third from the spot after Costel Pantilimon fouled Willian.
Fabio Borini pulled one back for Sunderland when he bundled in from close range, but this day was so much about Mourinho.
Relive the action from Stamford Bridge
Results and reaction from Saturday's other Premier League matches.
Chelsea fans displayed banners showing their support for Jose Mourinho at Stamford Bridge during the game against Sunderland
Mourinho wins backing from The Bridge
It was clear before kick-off that Chelsea's fans were pointing the finger of blame firmly in the direction of under-performing players for Mourinho's dismissal on Thursday.
Banners were unfurled emblazoned with the words "You Let Jose Down. You Let Us Down" and "The Three Rats - Hazard, Cesc and Costa".
Chelsea's players were also on the receiving end of x-rated chants collectively when each goal Chelsea scored was instantly greeted with chants for Mourinho.
The Portuguese may have gone - but he has not been forgotten.
As well as banners thanking Jose Mourinho, Chelsea fans also chanted his name throughout the game
Chelsea revived
Chelsea were on the floor before this game as they stood only one point off the relegation places in 16th position. And while a very poor Sunderland helped them to their feet, there certainly seemed to be a great freedom to the champions' play.
Oscar, cheered by Chelsea's fans, was his usual self but there was a zip about their early play that suggested a pressure valve had been released by the managerial change.
Chelsea's fans directed a colourful chant in the players' direction asking where they, and the performance they had produced against Sunderland, had been this season.
Guus Hiddink, who has replaced Jose Mourinho until the end of the season, watched the game alongside former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba and club owner Roman Abramovich
Any hope for Sunderland?
Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce is an expert at keeping teams in the Premier League but he has his work cut out at The Stadium Of Light.
The Black Cats have no pace at the back if he persists with Sebastian Coates, Younes Kaboul and John O'Shea, while Jack Rodwell's promise has been stripped away by injuries and Jermain Defoe's best goalscoring days are way behind him.
Allardyce will need some fast work in the markets in January because he currently represents Sunderland's best, perhaps only, hope of staying up.
Man of the match - Oscar
Oscar was one of Chelsea's key players, scoring one goal and having five shots on target in total
What they said
Chelsea first team coach Steve Holland: "I am happy with the result but it is raw. I feel the way I feel.
"The first half they played well in general. The early goal gave the players a boost of confidence, but the team is still fragile to an extent. They are used to setbacks in recent weeks so we wobbled a bit in the second half. In the end I thought they saw the game out fairly comfortably."
Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce: "We looked frightened of going out to play. We didn't get to grips in midfield and we didn't go up against them. We picked a team to put them under pressure but we didn't really do that.
"When we gave them the first goal early it lifted the whole stadium. Right from the start we made life very difficult for ourselves. I was happy to get in at half-time just 2-0 down. The worrying thing for me is that again the personnel haven't carried out instructions and again I have had to change things.
"It's not what you want to do but you have to react and for a time we were a little better, but then we did the most stupid thing of all which was to give them a penalty."
The stats you need to know
- Branislav Ivanovic scored his first Premier League goal for Chelsea since February 2015.
- Chelsea scored more goals in this game (3) than they did in their final five Premier League games under Jose Mourinho (2).
- Sunderland have picked up just five points in their last 11 Premier League away games (W1 D2 L8).
- The Black Cats have conceded the most goals (33) and have allowed their opponents the most shots on target (106) in the Premier League this season.
What next?
Chelsea host Watford on Boxing Day while Sunderland travel to Manchester City on the same day.
Jose Mourinho, sacked on Thursday, watched the Championship game between Brighton and Middlesbrough on Saturday
Chelsea players rushed to celebrate with Pedro after he scored the Blues' second goal
Lineup, Bookings (4) & Substitutions (6)
Chelsea
- 13 Courtois
- 02 Ivanovic
- 05 Zouma
- 26 Terry
- 28 Azpilicueta
- 04 Fàbregas (Mikel - 71' )
- 21 Matic Booked
- 22 Willian
- 08 Oscar (Ramires - 82' )
- 17 Pedro
- 19 Diego Costa (Remy - 76' )
Substitutes
- 01 Begovic
- 06 Baba
- 07 Ramires
- 12 Mikel
- 14 Traore
- 18 Remy
- 24 Cahill
Sunderland
- 01 Pantilimon Booked
- 02 Jones
- 22 Coates (Johnson - 23' )
- 16 O'Shea Booked
- 15 Kaboul
- 03 van Aanholt
- 20 Toivonen (Borini - 45' )
- 21 M'Vila
- 08 Rodwell Booked
- 41 Watmore (Graham - 79' )
- 18 Defoe
Substitutes
- 09 Borini
- 11 Johnson
- 14 Jordi Gómez
- 19 Graham
- 24 Yedlin
- 25 Mannone
- 26 Fletcher
Match Stats
Live Text Commentary
Full Time Match ends, Chelsea 3, Sunderland 1.
90:00 +3:07 Full timeFull Time Second Half ends, Chelsea 3, Sunderland 1.
90:00 +2:26Foul by César Azpilicueta (Chelsea).
90:00 +2:26Danny Graham (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
90:00 +1:37John Obi Mikel (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
90:00 +1:37Foul by Jack Rodwell (Sunderland).
88:58Attempt saved. Willian (Chelsea) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top left corner.
88:23 BookingBooking John O'Shea (Sunderland) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
88:13Ramires (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
88:13Foul by John O'Shea (Sunderland).
87:35 BookingBooking Nemanja Matic (Chelsea) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
87:23Foul by Nemanja Matic (Chelsea).
87:23Fabio Borini (Sunderland) wins a free kick on the left wing.
87:09Attempt saved. Jermain Defoe (Sunderland) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Billy Jones.
84:12Offside, Sunderland. Fabio Borini tries a through ball, but Jermain Defoe is caught offside.
82:51Attempt missed. Pedro (Chelsea) right footed shot from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Willian.
81:55Foul by Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea).
81:55Fabio Borini (Sunderland) wins a free kick on the left wing.
81:42 SubstitutionSubstitution Substitution, Chelsea. Ramires replaces Oscar.
80:36Corner, Sunderland. Conceded by Branislav Ivanovic.
Attempt blocked. Fabio Borini (Sunderland) left footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Jack Rodwell with a headed pass.
79:19Attempt saved. Loïc Remy (Chelsea) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Pedro.
78:37 SubstitutionSubstitution Substitution, Sunderland. Danny Graham replaces Duncan Watmore.
78:04Foul by Kurt Zouma (Chelsea).
78:04Jermain Defoe (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
77:47Attempt missed. Loïc Remy (Chelsea) right footed shot from very close range misses to the right. Assisted by Nemanja Matic with a cross.
75:16 SubstitutionSubstitution Substitution, Chelsea. Loïc Remy replaces Diego Costa.
73:51Attempt blocked. Oscar (Chelsea) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Pedro.
73:51Attempt blocked. Oscar (Chelsea) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Willian.
72:29Pedro (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
72:29Foul by Billy Jones (Sunderland).
70:19 SubstitutionSubstitution Substitution, Chelsea. John Obi Mikel replaces Cesc Fàbregas.
69:32Foul by Cesc Fàbregas (Chelsea).
69:32Patrick van Aanholt (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
67:47Attempt missed. Oscar (Chelsea) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Willian.
64:24Attempt missed. Jermain Defoe (Sunderland) left footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses to the left.
63:51Foul by Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea).
63:51Fabio Borini (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
62:37Offside, Sunderland. Fabio Borini tries a through ball, but Jermain Defoe is caught offside.
61:21 BookingBooking Jack Rodwell (Sunderland) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
61:13Pedro (Chelsea) wins a free kick on the right wing.
61:13Foul by Jack Rodwell (Sunderland).
60:35Attempt missed. Patrick van Aanholt (Sunderland) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Duncan Watmore.
58:51Willian (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
58:51Foul by Billy Jones (Sunderland).
55:49Attempt missed. Fabio Borini (Sunderland) right footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Adam Johnson.
55:01Attempt missed. Jermain Defoe (Sunderland) left footed shot from the left side of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Jack Rodwell.
52:53Pedro (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
52:53Foul by Billy Jones (Sunderland).
52:10 Goal scoredGoal! Goal! Chelsea 3, Sunderland 1. Fabio Borini (Sunderland) right footed shot from very close range to the bottom left corner following a set piece situation.
51:58Attempt saved. Younes Kaboul (Sunderland) header from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Adam Johnson with a cross.
51:17Foul by Oscar (Chelsea).
51:17Fabio Borini (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
49:16 Goal scoredGoal! Goal! Chelsea 3, Sunderland 0. Oscar (Chelsea) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom right corner.
49:04Delay over. They are ready to continue.
48:12Delay in match Patrick van Aanholt (Sunderland) because of an injury.
47:45 BookingBooking Costel Pantilimon (Sunderland) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
47:36Penalty Chelsea. Willian draws a foul in the penalty area.
47:36Penalty conceded by Costel Pantilimon (Sunderland) after a foul in the penalty area.
45:33Offside, Sunderland. Fabio Borini tries a through ball, but Duncan Watmore is caught offside.
45:00Second Half begins Chelsea 2, Sunderland 0.
45:00 SubstitutionSubstitution Substitution, Sunderland. Fabio Borini replaces Ola Toivonen.
45:00 +1:12 Half timeHalf Time First Half ends, Chelsea 2, Sunderland 0.
42:26Attempt missed. Patrick van Aanholt (Sunderland) left footed shot from outside the box is too high following a set piece situation.
42:24Attempt blocked. Patrick van Aanholt (Sunderland) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
41:04Foul by César Azpilicueta (Chelsea).
41:04Duncan Watmore (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
40:13Nemanja Matic (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
40:13Foul by Jack Rodwell (Sunderland).
38:12Foul by Nemanja Matic (Chelsea).
38:12Ola Toivonen (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
37:30Attempt missed. Diego Costa (Chelsea) header from the right side of the six yard box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Pedro with a cross.
35:51Attempt blocked. Pedro (Chelsea) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Oscar.
35:15Pedro (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
35:15Foul by Ola Toivonen (Sunderland).
34:37Attempt missed. Diego Costa (Chelsea) left footed shot from the centre of the box is just a bit too high.
33:42John Terry (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
33:42Foul by Jermain Defoe (Sunderland).
32:54Foul by Diego Costa (Chelsea).
32:54Yann M'Vila (Sunderland) wins a free kick on the right wing.
32:00Attempt missed. Duncan Watmore (Sunderland) left footed shot from the centre of the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Yann M'Vila with a through ball.
28:12Corner, Sunderland. Conceded by Diego Costa.
27:42Foul by César Azpilicueta (Chelsea).
27:42Duncan Watmore (Sunderland) wins a free kick on the right wing.
26:25Foul by Cesc Fàbregas (Chelsea).
26:25Yann M'Vila (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
25:17Attempt saved. Oscar (Chelsea) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Cesc Fàbregas.
22:22 SubstitutionSubstitution Substitution, Sunderland. Adam Johnson replaces Sebastián Coates.
22:02Cesc Fàbregas (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
22:02Foul by Jack Rodwell (Sunderland).
14:47Attempt missed. Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Oscar with a cross following a corner.
14:06Corner, Chelsea. Conceded by Jack Rodwell.
14:03Attempt blocked. Willian (Chelsea) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Nemanja Matic with a through ball.
12:14 Goal scoredGoal! Goal! Chelsea 2, Sunderland 0. Pedro (Chelsea) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the top right corner.
8:08Attempt saved. Willian (Chelsea) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
7:00Oscar (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
7:00Foul by Yann M'Vila (Sunderland).
4:54 Goal scoredGoal! Goal! Chelsea 1, Sunderland 0. Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea) header from the centre of the box to the top left corner. Assisted by Willian with a cross following a corner.
4:16Corner, Chelsea. Conceded by Younes Kaboul.
0:00First Half begins.
0:00Lineups are announced and players are warming up.
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