Raúl Jiménez struck twice and Alex Iwobi added a late third as Fulham claimed a 3-1 victory at Sunderland, ending their three-match Premier League losing run and becoming only the second side to win at the Stadium of Light this season. The Mexican's header and flawless penalty either side of the hour put Marco Silva's team firmly in control before Enzo Le Fée's spot-kick briefly ignited hope for the hosts, only for Iwobi to finish a ruthless counterattack.
Fulham's first league win since they beat Brighton on 24 January - and their first away triumph in the top flight this year - lifted them above Sunderland into 10th place and kept alive their hopes of staying in the race for European spots. For Régis Le Bris's newly promoted side, a second successive home defeat following a 12-game unbeaten run on Wearside extended a worrying sequence of four losses in five league matches.
Injuries and imbalance define a subdued first half
Le Bris responded to Sunderland's growing drought from open play by naming a notably attacking starting XI, with January signings Jocelin and Nilson Angulo deployed as touchline-hugging wingers. The idea was to stretch Fulham on both flanks, but it left gaps in central midfield that Silva's side were quick to identify, even if a sometimes less than urgent tempo from the visitors meant the goalkeepers, Robin Roefs and Bernd Leno, were largely underworked before the interval.