Sunderland beat Chelsea to qualify for European competition for the first time in 53 years, securing a place in the Europa League at the visitors' expense.

The Black Cats became just the fifth team to qualify for Europe via their Premier League position a year after achieving promotion, finishing seventh.

Chelsea, meanwhile, trailed home 10th and failed to qualify for Europe in interim boss Calum McFarlane's final game in charge.

A first-time volley from defender Trai Hume opened the scoring at the Stadium of Light, catching goalkeeper Robert Sanchez off guard midway through the first half.

Chelsea defender Malo Gusto then turned Brian Brobbey's wayward shot into his own net in the second half. Although Cole Palmer reduced the deficit with a long-range effort, Sunderland held on.

It was made easier for the home side when Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana got two yellow cards in quick succession in the second half.

They resulted in Chelsea's eighth red card in the league this season, twice as many dismissals as the next highest club, and their most ever across a single Premier League campaign.

Sunderland were worthy winners, having dominated much of the match despite conceding first-half chances to Palmer and Joao Pedro, while Brobbey and substitute Habib Diarra also missed big opportunities for the hosts.

The hosts leapfrogged not only Chelsea but also Brighton and Brentford, who both failed to win on Sunday, to secure qualification for Europe's second-tier competition.

"Let's party."

That was the shout from the stadium announcer when telling the home supporters their team had qualified for the Europa League.

In truth, the party had begun hours before kick-off, but it was bedlam by the end of the match, as fans held heads in hands in disbelief at the team's remarkable achievement.

It is only four years since the Black Cats were in League One, with Luke O'Nien and Hume having been with them throughout the journey and combining here for the first goal.

This is also a team that was cleverly improved in a £163m summer transfer spend last year.

Having only gone up via the Championship play-offs, it is little surprise many predicted Sunderland would struggle.

In each of the past two campaigns, all three promoted teams were relegated straight back to the Championship, so it would have been understandable if Sunderland had simply been content with finishing 17th.

However, despite playing down expectations of European qualification, head coach Regis le Bris – supported by owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and the club's aggressive recruitment strategy – has led the club into new territory.

Through the performances of captain Granit Xhaka and exciting new signings like Brobbey, Lutsharel Geertruida and Robin Roefs, this side broke new ground.

They have become the first newly promoted team since Wolves in 2020, and only the fifth in the Premier League era, to qualify for Europe in the season after promotion.

It means Sunderland will return to continental competition for the first time in a generation, sparking jubilant scenes among supporters after a tense victory over one of England's biggest and wealthiest clubs.

It is undoubtedly a special time to be a Sunderland supporter, with trips to the continent to look forward to next season.

This was a fitting end to a chaotic season as Chelsea found themselves outfought, out-thought and looking ill-disciplined after their latest red card.

Everything that has gone wrong with Chelsea's season was crammed into 90 minutes.

They were toppled by a team they were expected to beat, with Fofana the latest to get sent off.

It is remarkable to think that optimism had not been higher in years at Chelsea when the season began.

They had just won the Conference League and Club World Cup and had qualified for the Champions League under Enzo Maresca.

However, Maresca's falling-out with the hierarchy and decision to walk out on New Year's Day has proven pivotal.

His replacement, Liam Rosenior, lasted less than four months and departed after six defeats in a row without scoring, while interim replacement McFarlane failed to win the FA Cup or qualify for Europe.

It was just two wins in 13 league matches under Chelsea's final two head coaches of the season, turning likely Champions League qualification into mid-table nothingness.

The decline has left players like Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella criticising their own club while even captain Reece James said earlier this week that "stability is key".

All involved are responsible for this group of players, assembled for £1.6billion over Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital's ownership, to achieve so little in their fourth season since buying the club in 2022.

A return of 52 points is the fifth lowest total Chelsea have had in the Premier League era.

Chelsea not only missed out on their minimum pre-season goal of qualifying for the Champions League, but this is now the second time in four seasons under the BlueCo ownership that they have failed to qualify for Europe.

At least the campaign is over for angry supporters, and the appointment of Xabi Alonso offers some optimism, with both fans and players seemingly able to get behind his incoming arrival on July 1.

Chelsea need stability, but at such a low ebb, with reduced transfer budgets and need to slim down the squad, Alonso will need patience.