Xabi Alonso's Chelsea still seeking identity after 1-0 defeat at Sunderland

Xabi Alonso's Chelsea were beaten 1-0 by Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Sunday as the manager's search for a settled identity continued after constant changes in formation and personnel.

Under Alonso, Chelsea have five wins, four losses and a draw in 10 Premier League games, a run characterised by frequent tinkering in team selection that has drawn comparisons with the "Tinkerman" label first associated with Claudio Ranieri in 2002-03. For the first time this season Chelsea deployed a three-man midfield and, for a second successive match, started without a recognised striker, with Pedro Neto again struggling to lead the line.

Sunderland's winning goal came from a 36th-minute penalty won by target man Brian Brobbey after he was brought down by Levi Colwill; Enzo le Fee converted from the spot. Moments earlier Chelsea had been denied a penalty when Cole Palmer went down under a challenge from Luke O'Nien, with the video assistant referee ruling contact had started outside the box; the two incidents prompted visible anger from Alonso and his coaching staff on the touchline.

Alonso declined to criticise officials after the game and directed his comments at his players' execution of the match plan. Asked whether Brobbey was simply unstoppable, Alonso, 44, replied: "No, he's stoppable. He's stoppable, but we have to do it better than we did today. "Out of almost nothing he got a couple of chances. He got the penalty as well. "I'm not happy with how we defended that situation. It's something that we could have avoided, something that we had worked on during the week. To concede penalties is not good for us."

Levi Colwill was substituted at half-time and Moises Caicedo filled in at centre-back despite having "barely completed a full training session all week" and needing careful management of his fitness, the club reported. Chelsea created few clear openings overall: £117m signing Morgan Rogers wasted a headed chance and Cole Palmer struggled after being left out of the England squad days earlier, while Estevao Willian—introduced at half-time—has started only one league match this season, a point that has frustrated supporters.

Squad availability has been heavily affected by injuries. Alonso said: "There are situations. Yesterday Josh [Acheampong] said he was not ready to play, so we are short of options and we need to walk through this step. "Even when we win, when we lose, we miss some players that we have injured and for sure we are waiting for them to come back because they are important." The list of absentees and recent setbacks includes Reece James, Joao Pedro (thigh), Emiliano Martinez (broken jaw), Maxence Lacroix (hamstring; expected to be out until January) and Jorrel Hato.

Statistically Chelsea remain a team of contrasts: only Tottenham (28) have created more chances than Chelsea (24) in the Premier League this season, they averaged 46% possession before Sunday's game but enjoyed 68.7% possession at Sunderland, and only Crystal Palace have conceded more shots on target than Chelsea's 50 while the Blues lead the league with 53 shots on target. In the early part of the campaign a settled front three of Joao Pedro, Rogers and Palmer was credited with a positive start to the season.

Chelsea are fifth in the table and have collected five more points from equivalent fixtures than last season, leaving the club on course to qualify for the Champions League, but Alonso remains a long way from establishing a consistent style or identity as the side head into the November international break; he had said in an interview last week Chelsea would be "different" and "better" by the end of the season.