Depending on whom you ask, Gus Poyet is either a Chelsea hero, a traitorous villain, or a bit of both who has since tried hard to mend his ways.
From 1997 to 2001, Stamford Bridge sang his name and he repaid the fans with 49 goals in 145 games, few more memorable than his winning goal in the 1998 Cup Winners' Cup final against Real Madrid or his flying volley against, ironically enough, Sunderland. But then discarded by Claudio Ranieri or Ken Bates, depending on whose story you believe, Poyet went to Spurs, where he infamously kissed the badge in front of the Chelsea traveling support in a Worthington Cup (i.e. League Cup) semifinal demolishing. Poyet would later claim that he intended the gesture for Ken Bates, but the damage had been done.
Poyet, never one to shirk his passions, has made efforts to repair his relationship with Chelsea and the fans since his Spurs days, most notably when he publicly defended Frank Lampard towards the end of the AVB era and last year declared his interest in the soon-to-be-vacant Chelsea managerial post.
Alas, the football gods work in mysterious ways and decided to play a joke on all of us on Saturday.
"To be the first team somehow to beat Mourinho's Chelsea at home is a privilege - and a little bit of mixed emotions. I played here and I know how important this game was for them."
"What I have done to their title hopes is bad, but I'm sorry - I was just doing my best for Sunderland, I cannot do anything different. I hope I will feel less guilty if Chelsea go on to win the Champions League, because I am still good friends with everybody here, and I would like them to keep winning."
-Gus Poyet; source: Mirror
By taking four incredibly unlikely points from trips to the Etihad and Stamford Bridge, Poyet has gotten his miracle. With three winnable home matches left, he may yet engineer a great escape for Sunderland. Good luck, Gus!