Di Canio debut ends in Chelsea loss

Paolo Di Canio ... Italian may have lost his first game in charge but he remains defiant. Source: Alastair Grant / AAP

Chelsea came from behind to beat Sunderland 2-1 at Stamford Bridge, denying Paolo Di Canio a sensational start in his first game as a Barclays Premier League manager.

Chelsea's victory, in a game that witnessed two own goals, lifted them above both Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur into third place, while Sunderland remain just a point above the relegation zone.

Appointed as the successor to Martin O'Neill amid a whirlwind of controversy over his alleged fascist sympathies, Di Canio saw his side take the lead on the stroke of half-time via a Cesar Azpilicueta own goal.

Matthew Kilgallon accidentally gifted Chelsea an equaliser in the 47th minute when he diverted Oscar's pass past visiting goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.

		P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Man United	30	25	2	3	39	77
2	Man City	30	18	8	4	29	62
3	Chelsea	31	17	7	7	28	58
4	Tottenham	32	17	7	8	15	58
5	Arsenal	31	16	8	7	27	56
6	Everton	31	13	13	5	12	52
7	Liverpool	32	13	10	9	19	49
8	West Brom	32	13	5	14	-1	44
9	Swansea	32	10	11	11	1	41
10	Fulham	31	10	9	12	-4	39
11	Southampton	32	9	10	13	-7	37
12	West Ham	31	10	7	14	-9	37
13	Newcastle	32	10	6	16	-14	36
14	Norwich	32	7	14	11	-19	35
15	Stoke	32	7	13	12	-11	34
16	Aston Villa	32	8	9	15	-24	33
17	Sunderland	32	7	10	15	-11	31
18	Wigan	31	8	7	16	-20	31
19	QPR	32	4	12	16	-23	24
20	Reading	32	5	8	19	-27	23

Branislav Ivanovic completed the Chelsea comeback 10 minutes into the second half but his strike was similarly fortuitous, David Luiz's strike cannoning off him and trundling into the bottom-right corner.

"I am not worried (about relegation),'' said Di Canio.

"When I decided to move to Sunderland, I knew what players were here but we have to fight until the end of the season.

"I won't say this was a bonus game but it was a test for us to see what we can do. I am not happy we lost 2-1, but there were positive things I can take from this.''

Chelsea interim manager Rafa Benitez aimed a dig at his critics in the media after the victory.

Benitez has had to cope with constant scrutiny over his selection, tactics and future after taking charge of the Stamford Bridge club, but the club remain on course to secure UEFA Champions League football next season and remain in contention for FA Cup and Europa League glory.

"Two or three days before it was a crisis, two hours before the game it was the end of the world. Now we are in the top three again," he said.

"The media, you are too quick, too fast, everything is going too fast. We have to settle down and analyse things and have more relaxation when you do your analysis."

View the original article here