Sunderland Vs Fulham: Jimenez double and Iwobi chip settle sunderland vs fulham
Fulham beat Sunderland 3-1 as Raúl/Raul Jiménez scored twice and Alex Iwobi added a late finish, a result that ended Fulham's three-match Premier League losing run and moved them above Sunderland into 10th in the table. The match featured two penalties, a contentious referee review and public statements from clubs after the weekend’s wider incidents.
Sunderland Vs Fulham: goals, timing and a note on the 54th minute
Raul Jimenez scored twice for Fulham, including a header from an Alex Iwobi corner and a spot-kick, and Alex Iwobi completed the scoring with a dinked finish. The Mexico striker peeled off his marker to head in what is described as Alex Iwobi's 54th-minute corner, but other context in the match report says Jimenez gave Fulham the lead midway through the first half; the precise minute of that header is unclear in the provided context. Jimenez then converted a penalty after an on-field review to double the visitors' lead.
How the penalty calls unfolded and referee Craig Pawson’s pitchside review
Seven minutes after the corner incident, referee Craig Pawson was sent to the pitchside monitor and adjudged that Brian Brobbey had pulled on Calvin Bassey's shirt in the area, awarding Fulham a penalty which Jimenez converted, sending Sunderland keeper Robin Roefs the wrong way. Later, in the 76th minute, Dan Ballard drove into the area and was bundled to the floor by Ryan Sessegnon, winning a penalty that Enzo le Fee/Enzo Le Fée struck powerfully into the top corner to pull Sunderland back into the game.
Late counter-attack finish and milestones for Fulham
Fulham’s third came on the counter-attack with five minutes left when Harry Wilson broke clear and slipped in Alex Iwobi, who dinked a calm finish over Robin Roefs for his first strike since December. The victory completed a league double over Sunderland for Fulham for the first time since the 2002-03 campaign. It was Fulham's first league win since they beat Brighton 2-1 on 24 January and their first away win in the top flight this year, moving them above Sunderland and into 10th place in the table.
Jiménez’s form, fitness references and disciplinary notes
Jimenez’s brace took his tally to 11 goals in 36 appearances this season for club and country. The context notes he is 34 years old and had last scored against Manchester United in a 3-2 defeat on 1 February; another item in the reports states he will turn 35 in May and that it is approaching six years since a skull fracture placed his career in serious jeopardy. He was booked in the first half for catching Dan Ballard with a flailing arm and almost received a second yellow for a similar incident on Omar Alderete a few minutes later. The penalty he scored was described as his 13th successful penalty out of 13 in the Premier League.
Régis Le Bris’s reaction, squad decisions and missed chances
Sunderland manager Régis Le Bris said: “It’s a tough day. We couldn’t find the right way to express our quality. We got too sloppy to impose our ideas. It was a tight game but we weren’t good enough. We have to find solutions rather than searching for excuses. We have to show our character. ” The context notes Le Bris’s side have won only two of their past 11 league games and are experiencing a scoring drought from open play. He had chosen a very attacking starting XI; his two January signings, Jocelin and Nilson Angulo, were deployed as touchline-hugging wingers. Angulo is described as an Ecuador international signed from Anderlecht, while the Ivorian Jocelin arrived from Maccabi Netanya, where he failed to make a single first-team appearance and spent most of two years on loan in Israel’s second tier. The home side were left to rue clearcut chances missed by Romaine Mundle and Nilson Angulo.
Wider weekend fallout: club statements and online abuse
Wolves and Sunderland issued statements condemning online racist abuse aimed at their players. After a match against Crystal Palace, Wolves condemned racist abuse aimed at their Nigerian striker Tolu Arokodare following his penalty miss and republished specific posts that included references to him as a monkey; Wolves said they were disgusted by numerous instances of racist abuse and that they had reported the posts to the relevant platforms. Arokodare later posted: “It’s still unbelievable to me that we’re playing in a time where people have so much freedom to communicate such racism without any consequences. ” Sunderland said they were working with authorities to identify those responsible for “vile online racist abuse” directed at Romaine Mundle and stated: “These individuals do not represent Sunderland AFC, our values, or our community - and they are not welcome on Wearside. ” Campaign group Kick It Out summed up “an appalling weekend” of abuse and said, “Action must follow. Players cannot be expected to tolerate this behaviour, and nor should anyone else. ”
One brief match observation in the reporting about Fulham’s wide players is incomplete in the provided context and is unclear in the provided context.
