Elliott Dickman summed up Sunderland under-23s’ defeat at Chelsea on Friday by simply labelling it a reality check.
- Match report: Ruthless Chelsea dominate sluggish Sunderland.
- Gallery: Match snaps from Stamford Bridge.
The Black Cats’ sluggish start proved costly as full-back Richard Nartey sneaked in behind to tap home from close range with just four minutes on the clock.
And from that moment Dickman’s side never recovered.
Ike Ugbo was denied the chance to double Chelsea’s lead by Max Stryjek who surged off his line to prevent the forward from rounding him.
But the 18-year-old wasn’t to be stopped shortly after, netting his first of the evening in the 38th minute to double the hosts’ lead at Stamford Bridge.
Ugbo showed fine reactions five minutes after the restart following Stryjek’s initial save from Isaac Christie Davies to add his second and Chelsea’s third to ensure all three Premier League 2 points were staying in West London.
Speaking post-match, Dickman shared his frustration.
“I’m very disappointed with the performance from the Lads,” he said.
“Our performance in the first 45 was especially poor, we didn’t start the game at all and Chelsea looked much sharper, fresher, and quicker and they had much more about them.
“They looked like they wanted to win the match more than we did.
“I’m really frustrated and disappointed with our first-half performance but we picked it up slightly in the second period,” he continued.
“Our levels were a little bit better after the break but again the standards these lads have set themselves weren’t shown.”
