Source: Telegraph
Sunderland 0 Fulham 0: match report
Sunderland manager Steve Bruce went into this game insisting that he was certain there would be an upturn in fortunes at the Stadium of Light but the majority of those who witnessed this encounter will not share in that confidence. [LNB]Bruce used his programme notes to re-assure fans that even though "we've gone too long without a win" he was "convinced we'll turn it around" yet judging by the evidence of Sunderland's 14th league game without a win there is little to suggest Wearsiders can look anything other than a prolonged fight against relegation. [LNB] Related ArticlesPremier League actionSunderland v Fulham: previewCattermole: Sunderland fans can expect change in fortuneBruce fined by FA for referee rantPremier League tableTelegraph player raterSunderland are still hovering just three points above the three relegation places but rarely looked like ending a winless sequence that stretches back to November when Arsenal were beaten here and the chorus of boos that greeted the final whistle was testimony to local unrest. [LNB]Both sides struggled to gain any fluency early on but while Fulham could point to a long trip to the Ukraine as their excuse for initial lethargy, Sunderland failed to develop any momentum due to their habit of squandering possession all too easily. [LNB]The first opening of the game fell to Fulham striker Bobby Zamora - a surprise inclusion given his Achilles problems - but he wasted a chance to underline his England credentials when he nodded Simon Davies' throught-ball wide of the target with his Craig Gordon to beat. [LNB]Even though this was a game Sunderland needed to win to ease local anxieties, it took the home side almost 40 minutes to muster an attempt on goal and when Kenwyne Jones did take aim his 20-yarder flew well wide of Mark Schwarzer's goal. [LNB]The only other glimpse of first-half hope arrived shortly afterwards when Mark Schwarzer only gathered Darren Bent's free-kick at the second attempt. [LNB]Such was the dearth of goalmouth action, it took a series of meaty challenges to get the home crowd going but that was a sad reflection on the lack of midfield guile provided by Lee Cattermole and Lorik Cana. [LNB]It meant Sunderland, who had centre-half Anton Ferdinand at left-back instead of George McCartney, resorted to long-ball tactics far too readily. [LNB]The route one approach might not have been a problem had Michael Turner's distribution not been wretched or had Breda Hangeland not been so dominant. [LNB]When Sunderland did resist the direct approach and pass the ball around it almost paid dividends as Alan Hutton engineered himself some space on the edge of the box but shot straight at Schwarzer. [LNB]Both managers made changes shortly after half-time as Bruce replaced Cattermole with Bolo Zenden before Roy Hodgson sent on Jonathan Greening in place of the injured Danny Murphy. [LNB]Zenden almost put Sunderland ahead in the 75th minute when Jones flicked on a long ball but the Dutchman put the ball into the side-netting from an acute angle. [LNB]A few eyebrows were raised when Bruce hauled off Jones for Benjani but within seconds his team almost grabbed the lead when Zenden sent a cross fizzing across the goalmouth but Hutton could only find the side-netting. [LNB]Bruce cut a frustrated figure in his technical area and appeared reday to sink to his knees when Bent allowed a late chance to go begging. [LNB]
