Raul Jimenez bagged a brace early in the second half to lead Fulham to a 3-1 victory over Sunderland, snapping the Cottagers’ three-game losing streak and moving back into the top half of the Premier League table on Sunday.
WATCH — Sunderland v Fulham full match replay
Jimenez headed home Alex Iwobi’s corner kick in the 54th minute and converted from the penalty spot in the 61st to put Fulham 2-0 ahead before Enzo Le Fee scored a spot kick of his own in the 76th. Sunderland pushed for a second goal, but eventually the Black Cats were left wide open at the back and Iwobi put the game to bed with a clever finish over Robin Roefs to restore the two-goal.
Fulham (37 points) leapfrogged four teams with the win and sit 10th with 11 games left to play. Sunderland (36 points) are now losers of three straight themselves and have slipped down to 12th in the table following their sensational start to the season.
What’s next?
- Bournemouth vs Sunderland — Saturday, 7:30 am ET
- Fulham vs Tottenham Hotspur — Sunday, 9 am ET
Sunderland vs Fulham live updates - by Andy Edwards
Sunderland vs Fulham final score: 1-3
Goalscorers: Raul Jimenez (54', 61' - PK), Enzo Le Fee (76' - PK), Alex Iwobi (85')
GOAL! Sunderland 1-3 Fulham: Iwobi lifts it over Roefs on the counter (85')
GOAL! Sunderland 1-2 Fulham: Le Fee hammers a penalty past Leno (76')
GOAL! Sunderland 0-2 Fulham: Jimenez converts from the penalty spot (61')
GOAL! Sunderland 0-1 Fulham: Jimenez heads home from a corner kick (54')
Sunderland starting XI
Roefs - Mukiele, Ballard, Alderete, Hume - Sadiki, Diarra; Jocelin, Le Fee, Angulo - Brobbey
Fulham lineup
Leno - Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Sessegno n - Berge, Iwobi, Smith Rowe, Wilson, Kevin, Jimenez
How to watch Sunderland vs Fulham live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 9am ET Sunday (February 22)
Venue: Stadium of Light — Sunderland
TV Channel: USA
Streaming: Watch on USA Network
Sunderland team news, focus
Bertrand Traore is out but Granit Xhaka is available which is a big boost as his absence has been a key factor in Sunderland’s dip in form. Le Bris will look to forward Brian Brobbey to hold the ball up and get Enzo Le Fee and Habib Diarra on the ball in midfield as much as possible. Sunderland are so dangerous from set pieces and are always in the game.
Fulham team news, focus
Fulham’s main man is Harry Wilson and he and Emile Smith Rowe are the creative hub of this Fulham side. Mexico’s Raul Jimenez is having a very good season, while Kevin and Samuel Chukwueze are battling for minutes out wide.
Sunderland vs Fulham preview
Regis Le Bris’ Sunderland lost 1-0 at home to Liverpool last time out and remarkably that was their first home defeat of the season. The newly-promoted side have done incredibly well to stay in the top half of the table for most of the season but they’ve slipped just out of it after winning just two of their last 10 games. Sunderland need a couple of wins to get their unexpected European push back on track.
Fulham have lost four of their last five games, including three in a row, and they were hammered 3-0 at Manchester City last time out. Marco Silva is out of contract in the summer and there is uncertainty around the direction Fulham are heading in. That said, they are just two points behind Sunderland heading into this game and are still in with a shout of qualifying for Europe.
Sunderland vs Fulham prediction
This has a got a drawn written all over it. It will be tight and tense and both teams will probably be happy to get something from the game and move on. Sunderland 1-1 Fulham.
