Sunderland (0) 0 - 3 (1) Fulham
Fulham's Japanese World Cup star Junichi Inamoto heaped more pressure on Peter Reid with a superb display that put Sunderland to the sword.
The midfielder put Fulham in front after 34 minutes and, after Barry Hayles had capitalised on a mistake by Thomas Sorensen to make it 2-0, set up Steve Marlet to complete a rousing display by the Londoners.
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Fulham midfielder Junichi Inamoto scores one and makes the other two.
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Jean Tigana's side were full value for their win on an afternoon when they combined flair with sheer hard work and took their chances with aplomb.
By contrast, Sunderland, who fielded new £10million strike force Tore Andre Flo and Marcus Stewart, created little and after a brief first-half flurry in which Fulham keeper Edwin van der Sar stood firm, rarely looked like adding to their tally of just two goals all season.
Claudio Reyna again worked hard to try to inspire his team, but with Sean Davis, Inamoto, Sylvain Legwinski and Steed Malbranque dominating in midfield, even he could not stem the tide which eventually engulfed his side.
After Tuesday night's demolition job at Middlesbrough, Reid desperately needed a result, a fact illustrated by the banks of empty seats at the Stadium of Light.
But although there was, as ever, plenty of effort from his players, there was simply not enough quality as strike partners Flo and Stewart were left to feed off meagre rations.
That said, both men had chances during a half in which they were largely dominated by Alain Goma and the impressive Zat Knight, but came up against an immovable object in the shape of van der Sar.
Neither the Dutchman nor Sorensen was called upon nearly enough during the opening 45 minutes, but when they were, the Fulham man was not found wanting while the Dane was left horribly exposed.
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Key moments
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| 34 mins |
Inamoto puts Fulham ahead |
| 54 mins |
Hayles makes it 2-0 |
| 78 mins |
Marlet completes a fine win for Fulham |
It was he who had to pick the ball out of his net when, with 34 minutes gone, Rufus Brevett's cross by way of Barry Hayles' flick reached Inamoto at the far post and he controlled calmly before firing home.
The goal came against the run of play after Sunderland had finally managed to wrest control in the middle of the field from Davis and Inamoto with Reyna and Jason McAteer trying to prompt their side.
However, a long-range Stewart effort aside, they had to wait half an hour for a meaningful effort on goal when van der Sar reacted superbly to turn away Matt Piper's powerful header.
Seconds later, Reyna's through-ball allowed Stewart to beat the offside trap, but his first touch was heavy and a combination of the keeper and Brevett did enough to hamper the striker before Knight cleared up.
Van der Sar rescued his side again four minutes before the break as Flo threatened to force his way through as the mood on the terraces turned ugly.
If anything, Fulham's grip on the game increased after the break as Sunderland laboured before shooting themselves in the foot.
Sorensen, who spilled Massimo Maccarone's shot to allow Szilrad Nemeth to opening the scoring at Middlesbrough on Tuesday night, made a hash of a clearance and only succeeded in delivering the ball to Inamoto's feet.
| Match Stats |
S'Land |
Fulham |
| Goal attempts |
7 |
5 |
| On Target |
5 |
4 |
| Fouls |
10 |
13 |
| Corners |
11 |
6 |
| Yellows |
2 |
2 |
| Reds |
0 |
0 |
| source: www.sportinglife.com |
The Japanese international immediately picked out Hayes' run, and he used his strength to hold off Stephen Wright before coolly slotting past the Dane to make it 2-0.
Reid's response was to call in the cavalry, replacing Thomas Butler with warhorse Niall Quinn and McAteer with Gavin McCann, who passed a fitness test on his injured ankle yesterday.
The changes, which were greeted by ironic cheers from the home fans, gave the Black Cats greater impetus, but with Goma and Knight maintaining their grip, van der Sar remained just as under-employed as he had been for much of the first half.
Indeed, the visitors, for whom strikers Hayles and Marlet battled manfully to share the task of closing down in midfield, looked the more likely to score, and after Knight had seen a close range shot from a Malbranque corner deflected just wide, they did just that.
The Wearsiders wasted an attacking free-kick and the ball was cleared to Inamoto, who laid the ball into Marlet's path for the Frenchman to race clear and slot past Sorensen.
Barely had the ball hit the back of the net that the exodus from the stands started, and a large proportion of the home supporters did not see van der Sar turn away Quinn's speculative 82nd-minute effort.
Sorensen redeemed himself with a good save from Malbranque two minutes form time, but with the visitors now in complete control, the whistle could not come soon enough for his side.
MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Junichi Inamoto (Fulham)
Who else could it be? Another outstanding performance for his new side, scoring one and creating two.
Sunderland:
Sorensen, Gray, Wright, Bjorklund, Babb, Butler (Quinn 56), McAteer (McCann 56), Reyna, Piper, Stewart, Flo.
Subs Not Used: Bellion, Macho, Williams.
Booked: Gray, Wright.
Fulham: Van der Sar, Brevett, Ouaddou, Goma, Knight, Goldbaek, Inamoto (Collins 85), Davis, Legwinski, Marlet, Hayles (Sava 76).
Subs Not Used: Taylor, Melville, Stolcers.
Booked: Brevett, Hayles.
Goals: Inamoto 34, Hayles 54, Marlet 78.
Att:35432
Ref: C Foy (Merseyside).