|
|
Dominic Fifield at The Guardian
|
Fulham 1 Sunderland 0
Perhaps those doubting voices in the Hammersmith End will now be silenced. Bobby Zamora has put up with much in his time as a Fulham player, a vocal minority of the club's support fixating on his relatively meagre goalscoring record rather than the industry from which this side draws so much inspiration. On this performance none of the locals had any cause for complaint.
By the end of a contest that had seen Fulham hoist themselves into the top eight, only two points shy of Liverpool, the debate had switched to whether Zamora might actually offer England more than Fabio Capello's current favourite, Emile Heskey, in a lone forward role. Such talk was not that far-fetched. The 28-year-old's early goal and constant nuisance value had served to secure this victory: a cult hero had turned match winner.
Zamora clearly felt he had a point to prove here. His headed reward, plundered in front of the visiting support, had prompted home team-mates to converge upon him in celebration only for the striker to shrug off John Pantsil and Damien Duff, stride towards the half-way line and, his eyes fixed on the home partisans in the distant Hammersmith End, put his finger to his lips. That gave way to an outburst of "Shut your mouths". The minority who have voiced some disquiet were most likely too busy leaping in celebration even to notice.
By the end this arena echoed to the chant of his name. In truth Fulham were frustrated that they were forced to endure an edgy finale to this match when their initial dominance should have yielded them a comfortable win against opponents who laboured from the blocks. Their lead had been chiselled out early, Duff and Pantsil combining on the right flank for the Ghanaian to fling over a looped cross that Sunderland's back-line should have cleared with ease. Instead Michael Turner had been sucked out of position and Phil Bardsley merely dawdled for Zamora, ghosting in on his blind side, to nod powerfully down and in.
That was the striker's sixth goal of the season, a tally greater than that he has managed in the previous two campaigns combined, though it should have been the prelude to more. In the frantic pressure whipped up just before the break, Zamora leapt higher than Turner to nod Paul Konchesky's centre on to the bar. Moments later it was his touch from Clint Dempsey's pass that liberated Erik Nevland, who could only strike Marton Fulop with the goal gaping. The Norwegian's follow-up sailed into the Putney End.
Zamora had been irrepressible, troubling Turner, Anton Ferdinand - who hobbled from the fray on the half-hour - and Nyron Nosworthy and threatening to edge the game out of the visitors' reach. Even in the latter stages Sunderland centre-halves clamped on him illegally, so unnerved were they by his industry and energy. Yet, for all their huff and puff, Fulham's second goal would not come and the home side's profligacy appeared costly once Sunderland finally built up some momentum of their own.
The returning Kenwyn Jones - a scorer on his three previous visits here - and Darren Bent should have hauled the Wearsiders level in the opening exchanges of the second period only for Mark Schwarzer to deny the Trinidadian and Bent to thrash his volley into the side-netting. Fulham reorganised thereafter, conviction creeping back into their play, with Boudewijn Zenden's skimming late attempt, claimed by Schwarzer, their last scare. This was Zamora's day.
Source .