Black Cats sink Fulham

Sunderland won 3-1 away to virtually guarantee their survival and increase Fulham's relegation woes.

Collins, Chopra and Jones strikes heap pressure on sorry Cottagers

Sunderland won 3-1 at Craven Cottage to virtually guarantee their survival and increase Fulham's relegation woes. Danny Collins had a goal ruled out for pushing before finally opening the scoring on 45 minutes with a free header. Substitute Michael Chopra then added a second for the Black Cats on 54 minutes with a great left-footed volley after Kenwyne Jones flicked on Craig Gordon's goal-kick. Fulham substitute David Healy gave the Cottagers hope with a superb left-footed shot into the top corner on 74 minutes. But two minutes later, Jones sealed the win - the Black Cats' third on the trot - after good work by Dean Whitehead.

Fierce

Roy Hodgson's men need to eclipse the unlikely survival campaigns of West Ham, West Brom or Portsmouth in previous seasons if they are to get out of this one. They paraded their legends, such as George Cohen and Alan Mullery before the game but aside from Jimmy Bullard, it does not look like the current players will be joining them in the hall of fame. Fulham's drive, as expected, came from Bullard. It was the midfielder who created the first chance, lofting a pass towards Brian McBride in the 12th minute. The Fulham skipper timed his run perfectly but his header lacked power and direction, and Gordon was able to claim. After that, there was little for Fulham fans to get excited about in the first half. Sunderland had the ball in the net after 15 minutes when Andy Reid's free-kick found the head of Collins but Mark Halsey disallowed the strike for a foul. Phil Bardsley then came close for the visitors with a fierce drive from the edge of the area which just cleared the crossbar. The home fans grew restless with the long balls punted forward and there was frustration on the pitch too as Sunderland threatened to break forward. Leon Andreasen stopped one attack with a cynical foul on Reid, earning a booking. Collins drifted a header wide from the corner but was only a half chance, and Davies volleyed over for the hosts from 20 yards before the break.

Lead

Sunderland took the lead in the last minute of the first half when Collins headed home from Daryl Murphy's cross, a move which should have been cleared earlier by the hosts. Rather than sitting back on their lead, Keane brought on Chopra when he replaced Carlos Edwards at half-time as Sunderland went with a 4-4-2 formation. It was Fulham who had the first chance after the restart. McBride scuffed a cross to Diomansy Kamara and Gordon was down to spread himself and save with his feet. The Scotland goalkeeper was at full stretch again when Murphy, his team-mate, diverted Davies' cross towards his own goal. Despite the pressure, Sunderland grabbed their second goal, in the 54th minute. Jones headed on a long clearance and found Chopra beyond the Fulham defence. The substitute did not take a touch, lobbing Kasey Keller with his controlled volley. It could have got worse for Fulham when Reid found Murphy with a free-kick at the far post but the Sunderland midfielder headed when he should have shot, with comical results. Healy was brought on and he scored with 17 minutes remaining, finding the top corner from 25 yards out. But hopes of a point were dashed when Dean Whitehead found Jones unmarked at the far post. The striker took an ugly touch but slammed his finish into the bottom corner.

Fulham	Team Statistics	Sunderland
1	Goals	3
0	1st Half Goals	1
3	Shots on Target	5
11	Shots off Target	4
4	Blocked Shots	2
8	Corners	5
12	Fouls	9
0	Offsides	1
2	Yellow Cards	0
0	Red Cards	0
73.7	Passing Success	70.1
14	Tackles	21
78.6	Tackles Success	85.7
58.3	Possession	41.7
50	Territorial Advantage	50