EPL 2016-17, Chelsea 5-1 Sunderland: 5 talking points

Chelsea celebrating their 6^th League triumph

The newly crowned Premier League champions Chelsea thrashed the bottom-most placed Sunderland on the closing day of 2016/17 season with a resounding scoreline of 5-1. The Londoners showed exactly what makes them the champions in a game, which was of no real consequence in the grand scheme of things.

Apart from the opening first 10 minutes, the balance on the extreme ends of the league table justified itself, as Chelsea dominated and threatened with every move as Sunderland collapsed towards the end of the game. All the usual suspects were on point to compound misery on the club which had the worst top-flight season in their history.

Sunderland sorely missed Jermain Defoe but still managed to score in the 3rd minute before the usual downward momentum set in with a Willian equaliser in the 8^th minute. Perhaps, the most striking moment of the first half came with John Terry’s guard of honour for his last Premier League game, in the 26th minute, a befitting gesture for the Chelsea captain.

Here are the talking points from the game at Old Trafford:

#1 John Terry’s other guard of honour and passing the baton

The mid-game guard of honour to John Terry on the 26th-minute mark. What a moment!

With the title already wrapped up, Chelsea’s biggest motivation going into the final game of the season was to cement a 30-win record on their books. Their evergreen captain John Terry had already celebrated his fifth Premier league title with a goal against Watford last weekend, which was made merrier by the guard of honour he received for his 20-year service to the club. And there was still more to come.

In the 26^th minute in the game, Sunderland’s goalkeeper Jordan Pickford threw out the ball as the 4^th official announced a substitution and John Terry was to come off for Gary Cahill. In that buildup, all the Chelsea player’s gathered to give him another guard of honour right there on the field as the enigmatic captain made his way to the byline and took off his armband and put it on Cahill’s arm.

Though the game was tied at 1-1 and there were slight protests from some Sunderland players for the ostentatious behaviour, the moment in itself reminded us all about how certain players leave an insurmountable legacy behind them and we can always continue to cherish them. In his final Premier League game, Terry poetically passed on the baton of captaincy to Gary Cahill.