Sunderland 0-0 Chelsea

• Chelsea unbeaten in 13 league games
• Sunderland draw eighth game of the season
• Costa picks up ban for fifth yellow card
• Both sides hit the woodwork

Sunderland became the first team this season to stop Chelsea scoring as they earned a deserved 0-0 draw.

Chelsea could not find a way through the Black Cats defence, the closest they came a first-half drive from Willian which struck the post.

Santiago Vergini clipped the bar for the home side, who missed chances late on to take the three points.

Diego Costa, who could have been sent off in the first half for clashing with John O'Shea, was booked for catching Wes Brown in the face with his arm - making him suspended for Chelsea's next game, against Tottenham.

The result was a shock for those who expected Jose Mourinho's Blues to continue their seemingly relentless surge towards the Premier League title.

Chelsea - whose 5-0 Champions League hammering of Schalke on Tuesday was described by their manager as "perfection" - have made the second best start in Premier League history, while Costa's total of 11 league goals is just one fewer than the entire Sunderland squad.

But Mourinho's men, now unbeaten in 20 matches across all competitions, have not found it easy against Sunderland in recent times.

The Black Cats are the last team to beat Chelsea in a league game - Sunderland's 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge in April began a run of 13 points from a possible 15 which completed their great escape and kept them in the Premier League. They also beat Chelsea in the Capital One Cup last term.

Fast forward to this season and no club has been involved in more Premier League stalemates than Sunderland - Poyet's side drawing eight of their 13 games so far - so perhaps, on that basis, the result should not come as too much of a surprise.

It was a deserved result too for the home side, who showed a great deal of patience and skill to first frustrate Chelsea and then, as the match wore on, to cause their illustrious opponents problems. In the end, they might feel they deserved more than just a point.

The visitors, unchanged for a third successive match, spent the opening stages camped around the Sunderland penalty area but the Black Cats got nine men behind the ball and ensured openings were at a premium.

Willian came close with a low, drilled shot from the edge of the area which hit the base of the post and Branislav Ivanovic drew a good save from Costel Pantilimon.

But Sunderland, growing in confidence, hit the bar when centre-back Vergini, on loan from Argentine club Estudiantes, unexpectedly popped up in the area. Vergini is yet find the net for Sunderland, although he did score a spectacular own goal in last month's 8-0 defeat at Southampton.

Sunderland more than held their own in the second half and Connor Wickham almost beat Chelsea keeper Thibaut Courtois with a vicious drive from distance.

Adam Johnson and substitute Jozy Altidore - who scored against Chelsea in the same fixture last season - missed chances late on as Poyet's men finished strongly.

Mourinho sent on Loic Remy, Didier Drogba and Andre Schurrle but although they failed to force a breakthrough, the Blues remain seven points clear of Southampton, who host third-placed Manchester City on Sunday.

Sunderland join City and Manchester United as the only teams to hold Chelsea to a draw this season.

BBC Match of the Day's Danny Murphy: "There were some terrific performances but Lee Cattermole was the pick of them. He was blocking, leading his team, all afternoon he was at it.

"He can play as well, he wasn't just whacking it forward. Seb Larsson and Jack Rodwell were brilliant with him as well. The more the game went on the better Sunderland got."

Sunderland manager Gus Poyet: "Commitment and desire were the key to getting a point against a top team. They have pace and power so you need to be very good tactically and mentally to cope.

"Everybody wants to play like Bayern Munich and Barcelona but we know it is not possible for us, so we need to play the game a certain way against the top teams.

"Maybe not too many people were expecting that result but inside the dressing room we knew it was possible."