Key events
Marco Silva speaks to the BBC. “Tough game … we were a little bit more under control than the first game … we managed a little bit better the ball … the pitch was not in good condition, it was not easy to play one, two touches … we created enough in the first 25 minutes to score more than one goal … the last 15 minutes of the half our pressure was not as it should be … it was important for us to score the second goal … FA Cup ties are always difficult away from home … I am really happy for the players … the FA Cup is important for us … we work hard to create a winning mentality … it is February, it is too early to talk and make a conclusion about the season, but of course we are pleased and we want more.”
Looks like Tom Cairney turned his ankle when passing up that chance late on. He’s being helped down the tunnel by the Fulham staff.
Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, formerly of nearby concern Newcastle United, speaks to the BBC. “We conceded two sloppy goals … credit to them, they pressed really good … but in the end we managed to score three goals and we are really happy … I would be more happy if I’d grabbed a goal before … but overall I am really happy … [some pantomime booing from the remaining Sunderland fans] … I’m a Geordie boy so they don’t like me here! … but it’s a good atmosphere … I’m sure a lot of Newcastle fans will be really happy as well!”
Harry Wilson adds: “I haven’t hit the form I’ve wanted to, so it’s nice to get on the scoresheet tonight, and hopefully a few more will follow now.”
Sunderland made Fulham work for that. For a club in the doldrums for far too long, they look to be heading in the right direction now. But it’s also true that the scoreline slightly flatters them tonight. Fulham were deserving winners, the better side over the whole 90 minutes plus. They’ll host Leeds on the week commencing 27 February.
FULL TIME: Sunderland 2-3 Fulham
Nope. Fulham can start thinking about the fifth-round visit of Leeds United! Sunderland can concentrate on their promotion bid.
90 min +5: Alese throws long from the left. A mild kerfuffle in the Fulham box, but Cairney volleys clear. Then suddenly Fulham are three on one! Cairney romps all the way into the Sunderland box only to take a heavy touch and allow Patterson to gather. Enough time for Sunderland to launch one Hail Mary hoof forward?
90 min +4: Rodak takes his sweet time over the goal kick. The referee theatrically restarts his watch. Expect an extra minute at least.
90 min +3: The corner’s hit long. Ballard heads harmlessly wide right. Pereira goes down and requires a moment to gather himself. The referee will surely add on a few more seconds now.
90 min +2: Tony Mowbray is unhappy with the officials’ award of just four minutes of added time. The clock’s certainly not on his team’s side. But they’ve got a chance! Pritchard swings in from the left. Tosun heads nervously behind for a corner. Up comes the keeper Patterson!
GOAL! Sunderland 2-3 Fulham (Bennette 90+1)
Mere seconds into added time, Ballard flicks a header on down the inside-right channel. Kurzawa slips, allowing Bennette to take a touch into the box and thrash a fine shot across Rodak and into the top left! It looked all over! It certainly isn’t yet!
90 min: There will be four added minutes.
88 min: That half-chance for Batth, taken off his head by Hume, looks to have represented the end of Sunderland’s efforts tonight. They suddenly look out of both ideas and puff.
86 min: A party breaks out in the away end. “There’s only one team in Fulham,” their support sing, with neighbours Chelsea out of the cup and one place below them in the Premier League.
84 min: The stands are emptying of disappointed home punters, but this isn’t over quite yet. Sunderland respond by winning their first corner of the night, down the right. The set piece is swung into the mixer. Batth is about to head powerfully goalward, when his team-mate Hume rises in front of him and flicks harmlessly wide left.
GOAL! Sunderland 1-3 Fulham (Kurzawa 82)
… a game of head tennis breaks out. Sunderland can’t clear. They try, but they fail. Duffy dinks a half-clearance back into the six-yard box. Kurzawa reacts first, and nearly bursts the net with a volley from close range. What a response to conceding by Fulham!
81 min: A long pass down the Fulham right. Batth and Patterson confuse each other on the edge of the box under pressure from Pereira, conceding a needless corner. And it’s costly, because from it …
80 min: Fulham replace Solomon with James. After the restart, O’Nien drags a shot wide through a crowded box, but somehow doesn’t earn a corner with a deflection.
79 min: Sunderland may be in the process of writing a fairytale here … because they send on Chris Rigg, who is 15 years and 235 days old. Rigg had a late effort disallowed at Craven Cottage. Had he not been offside, he’d have become the youngest scorer in FA Cup history. He’s got another chance to enter the record books now! Ba makes way.
78 min: That came out of nothing, with Sunderland looking kaput. But what a finish! The home crowd, previously pensive, are up for this again now!
GOAL! Sunderland 1-2 Fulham (Clarke 77)
… and now Sunderland are right back in it! Alese makes ground down the left. He reaches the byline and cuts back for Clarke, who takes a touch on the edge of the box, shifts his feet, and carefully steers a glorious shot around Duffy and into the top right! Rodak had no chance! Game on!
75 min: Fulham nearly score another fine team goal. Reed, Mitrovic and Pereira ping some nice triangles down the inside-right channel, the latter creaming a rising shot intended for the top left over the bar. That would have settled it for sure.
73 min: Reed stands on the ball and allows Ekwah the opportunity of a shot at goal from 25 yards. Ekwah scuffs it wide right, Rodak covering it all the way. But both subs have instantly injected some energy into Sunderland’s play.
72 min: … then Ekwah takes the place of Michut. Bennette is immediately on the front foot, making good down the middle, only for Reed to put a stop to his gallop.
71 min: Diallo makes way for Bennette …
69 min: Ba is surrounded by three Fulham players, the visitors looking much hungrier right now, despite, or maybe because of, their two-goal cushion. Solomon goes barrelling down the right and lays off to Pereira on the overlap. Pereira crosses, only to hit his own man Solomon, who had continued his run. Sunderland, who were light at the back there, get away with one.
67 min: Reed, barely up to speed, lets O’Nien strip him in the centre circle. He releases Ba into space. The ball’s shuttled wide right to Diallo, who can’t get past Tosin. Looking back, Ba may feel he’d have done better taking a chance with a shot himself.
65 min: Fulham make a double change too, their second of the evening. Decordova-Reid and Reed come on for Tete and Palhinha.
64 min: Sunderland make a double change. On come O’Nien and Pritchard, off go Roberts and Neil.
63 min: A reminder that Sunderland haven’t won an FA Cup tie at home since 2015. A 1-0 victory over Leeds. Patrick van Aanholt with the only goal, since you ask.
62 min: Neil powers his way into the Fulham box from the right. He shapes to shoot from six yards only to be agriculturally shouldered off the ball by Mitrovic, of all people. Sunderland want a penalty, but the referee isn’t the least bit interested.
61 min: Batth and Ballard kind of assumed that ball was going out for a corner, and it’s cost Sunderland. Mitrovic wasn’t similarly hanging around. Again, not great defensively from a Sunderland point of view, but it was a lovely team goal from Fulham’s perspective.
GOAL! Sunderland 0-2 Fulham (Pereira 59)
The subs combine to put some clear water between the teams. Cairney struts down the left before whipping a low ball into the path of Mitrovic, who is racing down the inside-left channel. Mitrovic takes a touch then shoots. Patterson spreads and blocks bravely, and the ball looks like it’s spinning out wide left for a corner. But Mitrovic doesn’t let it lie, cutting back cleverly from the byline and teeing up Pereira, who couldn’t miss. Fulham with one foot in the fifth round!
58 min: Solomon sashays in from the left and cuts back for Tete, who creams a shot goalwards from the edge of the box. Ballard throws himself in the road to block. This is a rip-roaring cup tie now!
57 min: Sunderland are getting closer and closer! Diallo dribbles at pace down the right, enters the box, then cuts inside to see off Kurzawa with ease. He whips a shot past Rodak from a tight angle … only for Duffy, falling backwards, to hack clear off the line! The Stadium of Light is bouncing now.
56 min: The first booking of the evening, and it’s Duffy, who hauls down Clarke as he makes good down the left flank. Everyone lines up on the edge of the box. Roberts wafts the free kick into the mixer. Batth sends a weak header wide left and high.
54 min: Sunderland are taking it up a level. Roberts twists and turns inside the Fulham box, down the inside left, and slams a shot goalwards from a tight angle. Rodak does well to parry and there’s nobody in Sunderland red and white to pounce on the rebound.
53 min: Diallo busies his way down the right, reaches the touchline, and pulls back for Neil, who from the edge of the area pulls a sidefoot inches wide of the left-hand post.
52 min: Solomon drives down the Fulham left and cuts back for Wilson. He in turn tees up Cairney, who fizzes a low drive inches wide of the right-hand post.
51 min: Clarke dances in from the left wing and causes Fulham some momentary pain. But they surround the young man who has no options and is eventually forced to turn tail.
49 min: Wilson now clips an in-flight Alese as the Sunderland defender advances down the right. He must be testing the referee’s patience now.
47 min: Wilson deliberately handles while contesting an aerial ball with Alese. No idea how he’s not gone into the book, but here we are. The referee won over by his cheeky smile, maybe.
Sunderland get the ball rolling. Fulham have made an aggressive double change, replacing Vinicius and Harris with Mitrovic and Pereira. Speaking of subs, here’s Peter Oh: “Being behind and needing a spark, it seems to me that the Black Cats will need to use all O’ their Nien lives in the second half if they are to survive this round.” He’s here all week, ladies and gentlemen. Try the panackelty.
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HALF TIME: Sunderland 0-1 Fulham
Fulham have been the better side; Harry Wilson alone could have had a hat-trick. But Sunderland came back into it during the last 15 minutes of the half, with Amad Diallo in particular causing the Premier League visitors some trouble. The Championship side not out of this yet.
45 min: Clarke embarks on a positive run down the left, but Tete gets ahead of him and draws the foul. More frustration for the home fans.
44 min: A long punt into the Sunderland half. Wilson nearly gets on the end of it, the ball rearing up with a bit of backspin, perhaps also held up by the wind. Patterson races out of his box to head clear.
43 min: Fulham slow it down a bit, perhaps realising Sunderland were getting up a head of steam as half-time approaches. Their sterile possession has quietened the crowd, too.
42 min: Clarke nearly opens Fulham up with a forensic pass down the left flank. He’d have released Alese into the box had Duffy not read the danger and telescoped a leg.
40 min: This game’s being played at 101 miles per hour. Gotta stay warm.
38 min: There’s a nice end-to-end feel about this. Tosin nearly sends Wilson clear with a long ball down the middle. Patterson comes out of his box to deal with the situation. Sunderland counter, and Solomon is fairly fortunate not to go into the book for an incessant tug on Neil.
36 min: Ba plays a glorious reverse pass down the inside-right channel to set Diallo off on his way. Diallo offers Kurzawa the ball, then turns on the jets to race clear with it. He enters the box but faces a tight angle, so looks for someone with a pullback instead. He doesn’t find anyone. May as well have taken a high-tariff whack at goal.
