Wayne Rooney and Rob Green deliver telling Sunderland verdict after Fulham loss on MOTD
Wayne Rooney and Rob Green explain where Fulham overpowered Sunderland as Match of the Day offers a stark assessment
Fulham’s late victory over Sunderland at Craven Cottage drew strong praise from Wayne Rooney and Rob Green on Match of the Day, with both pundits highlighting the hosts’ aggression, energy and determination to flood the penalty area in numbers.
Rooney felt Fulham’s approach caused Sunderland issues “all afternoon”, pointing to the intensity of their forward runs and the consistency with which they attacked the box. “They (Fulham) did excellent and they caused Sunderland problems all afternoon, especially from these runs to get the numbers into the penalty box, running with power, aggression, making sure they always had the numbers in there, and that was unlucky five players in the penalty area,” he said.
That pressure eventually told late on, when Raul Jimenez tapped home the decisive goal from Samuel Chukwueze’s superb right-wing delivery. For Rooney, it was the kind of moment every striker craves. “This is just a dream for any centre forward,” he explained. “Obviously, it’s good movement, but the cross is incredible and Jimenez in the middle of the goal, right place, gets a nice tap in and a good goal for Fulham.”
The goal came after a one-sided contest in which Fulham racked up chance after chance. Jimenez’s winner arrived from their 18th attempt of the afternoon, finally turning their dominance of possession and territory into something more tangible. Chukwueze, who replaced an ineffective Kevin at half-time, proved a constant threat and delivered the moment of quality the game had been missing.
Green was equally impressed by Fulham’s mindset, arguing that their proactive spells underline how dangerous they can be when everything clicks. “You look at it when Fulham take the game by the scruff of the neck and they really are aggressive with the ball and aggressive in their attitude and getting numbers forward, getting wide and they get the options there, they're a really good side,” he said.
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He added that their struggles in other games have come when they’ve been too passive, something that wasn’t on show here. “When they sit back or they’re not, they’re kind of passive and they allow the game to drift, they struggle, that’s what they’ve done away from home,” Green continued. “And here today they really did go out with a fantastic attitude just to take the game to Sunderland, and you’re looking at all the numbers getting in the box, they really didn’t hold anything back, they just kept going and going and going.”
Fulham’s energy saw them climb to 14th, three points clear of the bottom three. Kevin had squandered their clearest first-half opening, heading straight at Robin Roefs from close range, while Sunderland nearly punished that wastefulness straight after the restart when Enzo Le Fée flashed a shot just wide. But chances were few for Régis Le Bris’ side, who slipped to sixth after a flat afternoon in the capital. Fulham, though, were rewarded for their persistence as Jimenez sealed only their second win in seven league matches.