Fulham 1-1 Sunderland: Tom Cairney scores to earn Marco Silva’s side an FA Cup fourth round replay

It has been 50 years since Sunderland won the FA Cup and while it may be premature to entertain any such conversations, the Black Cats put in a valiant performance in a thrilling game against Premier League Fulham to take the Cottagers to a fourth-round replay.

Sunderland’s priority no doubt lies in the Championship, where they are currently ninth, and a push for the play-off positions after six years away from the Premier League but Tony Mowbray’s side showed no signs of taking this competition lightly in a sensational game that had 39 attempts yet finished one apiece. This was a proper cup tie.

Fulham manager Marco Silva rolled in the changes, with seven from the side that lost to Tottenham on Monday night while Mowbray made just the one alteration from the team that defeated Middlesbrough in the Championship last weekend.

Tom Cairney levelled for Fulham to earn the Premier League side a replay against Sunderland

Jack Clarke gave Sunderland a sixth minute lead after an error from Fulham’s Issa Diop

Just shy of six-thousand Sunderland fans had made the trip down to West London and it took just six minutes for them to be rewarded when Jack Clarke nicked the ball off Issa Diop – who was guilty of taking far too long the ball – and calmly finished past Marek Rodak into the bottom corner. The away end erupted at the opposite end of the pitch.

Fulham nearly responded immediately as Andreas Pereira’s curling delivery found the leaping Tosin Adarabioyo, who headed the ball into the ground and over the bar.

Just when it looked like everything was going well for Sunderland, Ross Stewart pulled up inside the Fulham box with what looked like an achilles injury. The ‘Loch Ness Drogba’ as he has come to be known was put on a stretcher and applauded off but you couldn’t help but feel like this was a pivotal moment in their season.

Clarke’s early strike set up the prospect of a fourth round FA Cup upset at Craven Cottage

The Championship side were backed by a strong contingent of away fans in London

Despite missing 15 league games this campaign, his tally of 10 goals in the Championship gives him the best minutes-per-goal ratio in the division. Stewart’s injury signalled the arrival of Abdoullah Ba, with Sunderland having nine players aged 22 or under on the pitch.

The hosts grew into the game and Pereira’s claims for a penalty after Aji Alese’s challenge were waved away by referee Michael Salisbury before Harry Wilson played a neat one-two with the Brazilian but couldn’t keep his strike down.

Yet Sunderland posed a persistent threat despite the loss of their striker, particularly down the right flank with their quick link-up play and constant energy in possession.

Sunderland were dealt a blow when top scorer Ross Stewart suffered an injury in the first half

The 26-year-old forward was stretchered off with a reported Achilles problem

Patrick Roberts, formerly of Fulham, was a handful all afternoon and he set up the vibrant Amad Diallo but the Man Utd loanee dragged his shot wide.

Fulham had yet to seriously test Anthony Patterson all half but the Sunderland keeper was called into action in dramatic fashion on the brink of half time.

Pereira’s volley looked destined to crash into the back of the net yet somehow Daniel Ballard was back on the line and his shin deflected the ball to the keeper and away.

If you thought the first half had chances then the second was a feast for the neutral with end-to-end action from the off. Hugh Grant, a Fulham fan and in attendance at Craven Cottage, would certainly have approved.

Captain Cairney showed superb footwork in the box before firing the Premier League side level

The Fulham midfielder celebrated his first goal of the season in front of the home supporters

Ba scuffed his strike wide after some lovely work from Roberts before Wilson forced Patterson into a flying save at the other end.

Sunderland came back as Roberts and Diallo combined again but the latter’s shot was kept out at the near post. From the resulting corner, Fulham broke away but Wilson could find no way past Patterson when he only had the keeper to beat.

Diallo’s bending effort was stopped by Rodak who got a crucial touch before Clarke could pounce on the follow up and then a buccaneering run from Roberts in his own half nearly had the perfect finish but his strike from the edge of the box rolled past the post.

Aleksandar Mitrovic was brought off the bench as the Premier League side chased a winner

Mowbray had his hands on his head while and the visitors were made to rue their missed chances just minutes later as Fulham levelled on the hour mark with a moment of brilliance from skipper Tom Cairney.

Layvin Kurzawa picked out Cairney who sat down two Sunderland defenders before unleashing a left-footed strike past Patterson.

Silva threw on Aleksandar Mitrovic to get a winner and the former Newcastle man was greeted by a chorus of boos from the travelling support.

Sunderland’s 15-year-old subsitute Chris Rigg appeared to have dramatically won the tie

The teenager saw his effort ruled out for offside with the sides now facing a replay

Now Fulham had the momentum and Marnus Solomon’s free kick was kept out before Mitrovic was also denied by Patterson.

Both managers looked to the bench and the spaces opened up in the middle of the pitch as if neither side wanted a replay. Mowbray put on 15-year-old Chris Rigg who dramatically scored in the final minute of normal time, only for it to be disallowed as the linesman’s flag was up for offside.

Rigg would have been the youngest ever goalscorer in FA Cup history. 

Still neither side took their foot off the gas. Bobby De Cordova-Reid’s chested effort was pushed away by Patterson from yards out before the Sunderland keeper stretched out a hand to deny Willian. The whistle blew but in truth, this was a game no one wanted to end. The final score was somehow 1-1 and the two sides will do it all again in Sunderland.