Wilson Isidor came off the bench to score the decisive goal as Sunderland secured their first Premier League victory of the season with a 1-0 win over Fulham at the Stadium of Light.
The striker, who had recently signed a new contract with Sunderland, combined with fellow substitute Habib Diarra to end the Black Cats’ six-match unbeaten? Wait source says winless home run, so “six-match winless home run” against Fulham actually D3 L3. Need not say unbeaten. Continue.
The result was Sunderland’s first top-flight victory over Fulham since January 2009 and ended a run of three defeats in their previous meetings with the Cottagers. It also provided an immediate response to last weekend’s late defeat by newly promoted Ipswich Town, when Sunderland were denied what would have been their first point of the campaign in the closing minutes.
Sunderland had started brightly but were fortunate not to fall behind midway through the opening half. Josh King was presented with an excellent chance after Alex Iwobi delivered a superb ball, but he lifted his effort over the crossbar.
King threatened again later in the half, only to be stopped by proactive defending from Reinildo. Sunderland’s first-half finishing lacked the composure required to turn their early control into a lead, a problem that also affected Alvaro Arbeloa’s side.
Fulham had an opportunity of their own after the interval. Gonzalo Garcia, who had scored in each of his first two appearances for Fulham following his summer move from Real Madrid, saw a low attempt blocked by Nordi Mukiele.
That moment helped Fulham build confidence, and the visitors began to create a succession of half-chances. Cesar Palacios and Oscar Bobb both went close, but Sunderland’s fortunes changed when Isidor was introduced from the bench.
Within minutes of entering the match, Isidor was set up by Enzo Le Fee, but his shot struck the base of the post. It was an early warning for Fulham, and the substitute made the breakthrough in the 75th minute.
Diarra sent a low cross into the area after Bernd Leno had rushed from his goal, but the Fulham goalkeeper was unable to cut out the delivery. Isidor reacted first and guided the ball beyond Leno to put Sunderland in front.
Romaine Mundle had a chance to make the points safe late on when Granit Xhaka played him through. However, Mundle could not steer his finish past Leno. The miss did not matter in the end as Sunderland held on for a much-needed victory.
Isidor ends Sunderland’s Fulham hoodoo
Sunderland had arrived at the Stadium of Light searching for a result to launch their season, although their recent record against Fulham suggested the task would be difficult.
The Black Cats had lost their previous three fixtures against the Cottagers: one in the Championship in 2017 and both meetings last season.
This time, however, Sunderland controlled much of the contest despite recording only 41.6% possession. Their attacking output was also superior, with Le Bris’ team producing 1.75 expected goals (xG) compared with Fulham’s 1.02.
Isidor was the key difference between the sides. His three shots produced a match-high individual xG of 1.38, with one effort on target and one finding the net.
The goal was Isidor’s second match-winning strike in the Premier League. It came exactly one year after his only previous decisive goal in the competition, a 90th-minute winner in Sunderland’s 2-1 victory over Brentford, also at the Stadium of Light.
Fulham finished the match without a shot on target from their 11 attempts. It was the highest number of efforts recorded by a team in a Premier League game without testing the goalkeeper since Fulham themselves had 11 attempts without one on target against Brentford in April.
