Chelsea and Sunderland headed into half time on level terms after neither side broke the deadlock in the opening 45 minutes at the Stadium of Light this evening.
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Connor Wickham had the first chance of the match when he attempted to curl the ball in from just outside the box, but Thibaut Courtois watched it go well high.
The visitors came close to opening the scoring when Willian tried to power the ball in low, beating Costel Pantilimon, but seeing his shot come back off the post.
Courtois had to make a save when Jack Rodwell tried to blast the ball in, but his finish was straight at the Chelsea goalkeeper.
The home side continued to look dangerous as half time approached, with Santiago Vergini hitting the crossbar after meeting the ball at the back post.
Eden Hazard and Oscar teamed up to try to create a chance in the final moments of the half, but the Brazilian's flick into the box was cleared as Sunderland battled to deserved half-time parity.
Sian Cowper
