Chris Coleman hails super sub Josh Maja as Sunderland end home hoodoo

The 18-year-old scored with a cool, close range finish in the 77th minute, within minutes of entering the action as Chris Coleman looked to his bench for inspiration as Sunderland finally ended their home hoodoo.

With the scoreline level, Coleman withdrew James Vaughan and top scorer Lewis Grabban and replaced them with Maja for his league debut and fellow teenager Joel Asoro.

And it reaped instant rewards, with Maja scoring his first goal for the club.

Coleman said: "I have been impressed with him and what I have seen in training.

"He has been out with injury, he was out for a long while, as I understand he had a good pre-season and then got injured.

"Simon Grayson was unable to use him. He has been coming back and we have given him some minutes for the Under-23s.

"He is back with us and from what I have seen I have been impressed, as I have been with four or five of the younger players.

"I had no qualms about putting the pair of them on. I thought they would be able to handle the situation.

"They were a bit different to what we had, an unknown quantity - they gave us an injection and a had a big impact.

"We wanted to win the game, no doubt. Fulham came to win the game too, they would have looked at our record and thought if they scored first.

"I felt we had the better chances before we scored. We had to fight and scrap. I felt it was nicely poised, the way it was with 20 minutes to go for Josh and Joel.

"Two young fresh legs coming on. It was the right time."