HOW WE'VE FARED V FULHAM

Over the last 119 years, Sunderland have played Fulham 65 times. We have secured 26 wins, 20 draws, and 19 defeats. Not a bad record overall, here are the most notable games…

SUNDERLAND 3-2 FULHAM - FA CUP - 1935

Let’s start with a five goal thriller, needless to say this was an eventful game. It was the 12th of January 1935, and Johnny Cochrane’s Lads were hosting Jimmy Hogan’s Cottagers. Bobby Gurney took the lead in the 13th minute, and Sunderland were ahead. Jack Finch equalised for Fulham in the 25th minute, then it was game on. Gurney grabbed his second in the 36th minute, The Lads went into halftime 2-1 up at Roker Park. Sunderland struck again in the second half, when Bobby Gurney secured his hat trick in the 63rd minute. Fulham fired back, and Johnny Arnold pulled one back 10 m minutes later, but it wasn’t enough to inspire a comeback. The Black Cats won the game 3-2, and Cochrane’s side progressed to the fourth round of the FA Cup.

FULHAM 6-2 SUNDERLAND - DIVISION 2 - 1958

Speaking of eventful games, this was an absolute battering. On the 3rd of September 1958, Alan Brown’s Sunderland travelled to Craven Cottage to take on Bedford Jezzard’s Fulham. Despite the end result, it was the Lads who struck first, when Don Kichenbrand scored the first in the fifth minute. The lead lasted for almost half an hour, but Johnny Hayes equalised in the 34th minute. However, Alan O’Neill put Sunderland 2-1 up four minutes later. Brown’s side went into halftime 2-1 up, and things were looking good for Sunderland. But things began to fall apart in the second half. Tosh Chamberlain equalised in the 51st minute, and Johnny Hayes bagged his second seven minutes later. Fulham took the lead. Hayes secured his hat trick in the 66th minute, and he was having a great game. Things only got worse when Graham Leggat bagged the fifth in 84th minute. Sunderland then gave away a penalty, it was converted by Jimmy Langley. The game ended 6-2, a shocking result for Alan Brown’s side.

SUNDERLAND 4-2 FULHAM - DIVISION 2 - 1986

Now let’s talk about a big win for the Lads. On the 5th of April 1986, Lawrie McMenemy’s Sunderland took on Ray Harford’s Lily Whites. Shaun Elliott got things moving for the Black Cats, when he scored the first in the second minute. Mark Proctor scored the second in the 23rd minute, and the Lads were running away with it. Ian Wallace scored the third in the 38th minute, and Sunderland went into half time 3-0 up. It was a rare great first half display from McMenemy’s side. Proctor kept the onslaught going, and he bagged the fourth in the 51st minute. Despite being 4-0 down, Dean Coney pulled one back for Fulham in the 60th minute. Things began to pick up for the Cottagers, and Glenn Burvill scored their second goal in the 71st minute. However, these were nothing other than consolation goals, and Sunderland won 4-2. A really dominant display from the Lads.

FULHAM 1-4 SUNDERLAND - PREMIER LEAGUE - 2014

So, now let’s get stuck into the Premier League era, and this was a huge win for Gus Poyet’s team. It was the 11th of January 2014, and Gus Poyet’s Lads travelled to Craven Cottage to face Rene Meulensteen’s Fulham. Adam Johnson scored the first goal in the 29th minute. Ki Sung-Yeung bagged the second, just before halftime. The Lads went into halftime 2-0 up. Steve Sidwell pulled one back for Fulham in the 52nd minute, and it was game on. Johnson made it 3-1 in the 69th minute, and the Lads were back ahead. He made it a hat trick in the 85th minute, when he converted a penalty. The game ended 4-1 to Sunderland, with an overall great team performance.

SUNDERLAND 1-0 FULHAM - CHAMPIONSHIP - 2017

Sunderland nearly went an entire calendar year without winning at the Stadium of Light, but this game finally put an end to that terrible run. On the 16th December 2017, Chris Coleman’s Black Cats took on Slavisa Jokanovic’s Fulham. The first half was really dull, and the Lads went into half time at 0-0. A decent display considering Fulham won promotion that season. Academy graduate Josh Maja scored in the 77th minute, and the Lads went ahead. The game finished 1-0, and Coleman’s side picked up a big three points.

FULHAM 1-1 SUNDERLAND - FA CUP - 2023

Of course, we only played Fulham a few weeks ago which led to this cup replay tonight. We played really well in this end-to-end game against Premier League opposition, after taking an early lead through Jack Clarke's finish. To be honest, the likes of Roberts and Amad had several big chances and we should have been 3-0 up. But in the second half Tom Cairney equalised with a fine finish. 15-year-old Chris Rigg thought he'd won the tie in added time (he would have been the youngest goalscorer in FA Cup history), but the linesman flagged Abdoullah Ba for being offside. Such a shame for the youngster, but 1-1 wasn't a bad result - accompanied by a sensational overall team performance.