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  • Zamora (7)
  • Date:2009-12-06
  • Kick-off:15:00
  • Venue:Craven Cottage
  • Attendance:23168
  • Referee:Dean, M

Live Commentary

90mins

The whistle blows for full time, with Fulham taking all 3 points after an entertaining clash

90mins

Bardsley is booked for a foul on Zamora. The free kick from Dempsey is on target but it takes a deflection, which sends the ball over the bar. Good effort from Fulham

90mins

Four minutes of added time to be played and Sunderland are really putting the pressure on at the moment

89mins

Schwarzer plucks the ball out the air from a Sunderland corner. He's been in top form today

87mins

Zenden unleashes a cracking shot but Schwarzer does well to save his attempt

85mins

Kagisho Dikgacoi comes on for Greening, who has done well in midfield today for Fulham

83mins

Another poor back pass from Konchesky to Schwarzer. The ball goes out for a corner, which is taken short but comes to nothing

83mins

Nosworthy is back on the pitch. He knocks it long towards Bent but Paintsil clears

81mins

Bent's free kick from a great position is blocked by Gera. Sunderland are running out of time in this game

79mins

Dempsey is OK to carry on but Nosworthy is off the pitch receiving treatment to a head wound

78mins

A crunching tackle on Dempsey from Nosworthy. Both players look to be in considerable pain after that coming together

76mins

Hangeland is nearly caught out by Campbell but Schwarzer is there once again to save the day for Fulham

73mins

Gera sends the ball forward to Dempsey but he's fouled by Nosworthy. Free kick to Fulham but the Sunderland defence manage to clear the ball eventually

72mins

Boudewijn Zenden comes on for Jones

72mins

Turner appears to foul Zamora cynically but the referee waves play on

72mins

Konchesky battles away on the wing and gets a good cross into Gera, who sends his header horribly wide

69mins

Malbranque comes off for Fraizer Campbell for Sunderland

66mins

Nevland, who has been wasteful for Fulham today, comes off for Zoltan Gera. A popular decision from Roy Hodgson with the Fulham fans

64mins

Bardsley bombs down the wing but his cross is eventually scrambled away by Fulham

63mins

Turner plays the ball to Reid, who finds Richardson but his cross is headed away well by Hangeland

62mins

Zamora sets up Nevland with a cushioned header but the midfielder's shot goes high over the bar

60mins

Konchesky runs down the left and cuts inside Nosworthy but Turner is there to prevent the shot coming in

59mins

Sunderland are piling on the pressure at the moment, with Reid and Richardson combining well. Bent has another chance to score but his effort on his left foot is wild

57mins

Bent's volley goes a foot wide of the post from Richardson's cross. Great chance for Sunderland

55mins

Konchesky's shocking back pass is intercepted by Jones but Schwarzer does well to smother the ball and save Fulham's blushes

54mins

Malbranque's cross across the box is played behind all the Sunderland players. The final ball today from him hasn't been good enough

53mins

Zamora turns well near the centre circle and then passes to Konchesky, who crosses to the near post but Fulop does well to catch the ball

51mins

Dempsey drags his shot slightly wide of the goal. Fulham are now matching Sunderland's bright start to the half

49mins

Dempsey plays the ball into Zamora in the box but Richardson does well to put pressure on the Fulham man

47mins

Sunderland have started the second half brightly but Fulham have another good chance to extend their lead through Paintsil

45mins

The second half is underway at Craven Cottage

45mins

The referee blows the whistle for half time

45mins

Malbranque's shot from 20 yards is easily saved by Schwarzer

44mins

Nevland has a brilliant chance to double Fulham's lead but his shot is initially saved by Marton Fulop and his second effort goes high over the bar from close range. Nevland should definitely have scored there

42mins

Zamora is really growing into this game as his effort comes crashing off the post after he beat Turner in the air

41mins

A scrappy few minutes in this game, with a couple of offside decisions and mistimed passes

38mins

Zamora should have put Fulham 2-0 up but his header is weak in the end. Again, Nosworthy at fault for that chance

37mins

Nosworthy, who hasn't looked great since coming on, almost heads into his own net after a corner from Duff

35mins

Reid swings the ball into the box. It's headed out by a Fulham defender but Richardson's subsequent shot from 25 yards out is awful

33mins

Zamora wins the ball after good work from Schwarzer. Zamora finds Duff but his shot is high and wide

31mins

Zamora's shirt is tugged ridiculously by Nosworthy in a dangerous position, just a couple of yards outside the box. Dempsey takes the free kick but his effort floats over the bar

29mins

That foul from Nevland has brought an end to Ferdinand's game. He is replaced by Nyron Nosworthy

28mins

Dempsey flashes a shot just wide of the post after great work from Zamora. The Fulham fans wanted a free kick for a previous foul but that was a good advantage from Mike Dean

26mins

Nevland is booked for a nasty challenge on Ferdinand, who has to leave the pitch to receive treatment

24mins

Zamora holds the ball up well for Fulham before finding Duff, who squares to Konchesky. The ball eventually falls to Nevland but he shoots wide. Nice, flowing football from the home team

22mins

Malbranque plays the ball forward to Jones but Hangeland, who has been a rock in the heart of Fulham's defence so far today, does well again

20mins

Richardson gives the ball away carelessly but neither Greening nor Dempsey can take full advantage of his error

18mins

Jones flicks the ball on but Bent is unable to take advantage of the chance, after good pressure from Brede Hangeland

17mins

Kenwyne Jones chases a high cross from Reid but Schwarzer rises magnificently to claim the ball

16mins

Dempsey's shot from distance is wild and misses the target by some distance

15mins

Duff plays the ball into a promising position but Zamora is just a little too slow and fails to reach it

14mins

Malbranque's low ball into the middle of the box is met by nobody for Sunderland but after a Fulham defensive lapse, the ball falls to Phil Bardsley, but he runs out of options in the end

12mins

Anton Ferdinand lays the ball back to Richardson but the ball goes nowhere near its intended target. A frantic few minutes in the game; Sunderland need to calm their play down

11mins

Kieran Richardson is shown a yellow card after a foul on Duff

10mins

Reid's cross on the half volley is met well by Schwarzer

9mins

Dempsey plays the ball to Erik Nevland, who returns the ball to Dempsey. Duff gets in a good position but Andy Reid does well to put pressure on the Fulham man and the ball goes out of play

6mins

John Paintsil's high cross is met by Bobby Zamora, who makes no mistake in putting Fulham 1-0 up

5mins

A bright start from both teams here at Craven Cottage, with promising attacks coming at both ends

3mins

Malbranque's shot from the right of the box is well saved by Mark Schwarzer. The Sunderland man, set up nicely after great play from Darren Bent, should have done better from that position

2mins

Jonathan Greening heads the ball forward to Clint Dempsey, whose shot from 25 yards goes well wide

1mins

Paul Konchesky plays the ball forward after good movement from the home team but Michael Turner is there to neutralize the Fulham threat

0mins

Steed Malbranque gets an early touch for Sunderland and the Fulham fans greet his early involvement with a chorus of boos

0mins

Referee Mike Dean gets the first half underway at Craven Cottage

0mins

Sunderland will be hoping to reverse their miserable recent away form, whilst Fulham seek to overtake their opponents this afternoon with a win

Match Preview

Steve Bruce's Sunderland face the long trip to London on Sunday to face Fulham with both teams looking to improve on their top ten Premier League positions.

Roy Hodgson has witnessed his side make significant improvements in recent times with just one defeat coming in their last eight games after loitering around the relegation zone at the start of the campaign.

The Cottagers now sit in a more healthy tenth place, much being owed to their strong home record.

Sunderland, with Darren Bent remaining in fine early-season form, ride high in eighth and, like Fulham, they have an excellent home record.

The Black Cats have picked up just four points from a possible 21 on their travels and this has to improve if they are to challenge for the European spots this term.

Fulham will be looking to further inflict an away-day blow on the visitors from the north east but with Bobby Zamora and Andrew Johnson (both groin) missing alongside Diomansy Kamara and Danny Murphy (both knee), the Fulham strike force looks threadbare with just Erik Nevland and attacking midfielder Clint Dempsey playing upfront at present.

Sunderland goalkeeper Craig Gordon remains on the sidelines with a broken arm and former Wigan Athletic midfielder Lee Cattermole, who suffered a serious knee injury against Liverpool in October, could return towards the end of January at the very earliest.

Bruce will be buoyed that giant striker Kenwyne Jones returned to reserve team action following a three-game suspension in a 3-0 win against Wigan Athletic on Tuesday evening.


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Match Report

Bobby Zamora's early header proved enough for Fulham to secure a deserved 1-0 victory over Sunderland at Craven Cottage, a result which moved the hosts up to eighth in the Premier League.

The striker was simply superb as he ran Sunderland's defence ragged, with only the crossbar preventing him from adding to his tally.

But it was another poor show for Steve Bruce's visitors, who drop to tenth after an insipid display in west London.

Sunderland went into the game having won just one of their last 17 Premier League games on the road, but Steve Bruce's side were encouraged by the news that Kenwyne Jones was fit to return after five weeks out due to injury and suspension.

Fulham, meanwhile, made six changes to the side that beat CSKA Sofia in their midweek Europa League clash - and it was the hosts who started superbly, showing no ill-effects from that game.

And it took them just seven minutes to take the lead thanks to Zamora. John Pantsil creared the goal, firing in an innocuous cross that Sunderland should have dealt with easily, only for Phil Bardsley to hesitate and allow Zamora to run across him and head home.

It was a poor goal to concede and Bruce - a superb defender during his time with Manchester United - looked less than impressed on the touchline.

Zamora was clearly lifted by the goal, and was almost unplayable during the first-half, giving Michael Turner and Anton Ferdinand a torrid afternoon.

Indeed, just before the break he came so close to doubling the advantage, heading over goalkeeper Marton Fulop only to see the ball come back off the crossbar.

His strike partner Erik Nevland also had a wonderful chance to score Fulham's second, volleying way over the bar when his original effort was saved by Fulop.

Roy Hodgson's side should have had the points wrapped up, but Sunderland emerged for the second half a completely different side.

It would have been grossly unfair, but Jones had a perfect chance to level the scores ten minutes after the interval, latching on to Paul Konchesky's woeful back-pass, only to see his effort saved by Mark Schwarzer.

Darren Bent, Jones' strike partner, had been completely anonymous up until that point, but he suddenly came to life, volleying inches wide and then firing over the bar when well placed.

Yet after that brief flurry, Sunderland promptly faded, despite effectively playing with three strikers for much of the second half.

Fulham managed to hold on in relative comfort to secure a well-deserved victory.

Fulham

Sunderland

Corners

48

Fouls

1014

Goal attempts

137

Shots off target

113

Offsides

22

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