Tribal Football

Isidor the hero as Sunderland beat Fulham to first win of season

Sunderland's Wilson Isidor scores their first goal past Fulham's Bernd Leno
Sunderland's Wilson Isidor scores their first goal past Fulham's Bernd LenoREUTERS / Scott Heppell

Wilson Isidor scored the decisive goal as Sunderland ended their 17-year wait for a top-flight home win over Fulham with a narrow 1-0 victory at the Stadium of Light, condemning Álvaro Arbeloa to a second straight defeat as a Premier League (PL) manager. 

Key stats

- Sunderland have scored in their last four games in the Premier League, their longest run of games with a goal in the competition since a run of four games from October 18th, 2025 to November 8th, 2025.

Advertisement
Advertisement

- Fulham failed to attempt a shot on target in this game; it's the first time they have failed to attempt a shot on target in a game in the Premier League since facing Brentford on April 18th, 2026.

Highlights

Analysis

Match stats
Match statsFlashscore
Momentum
MomentumFlashscore

Match report

Less than a week after scoring in a 3-2 defeat to Chelsea, Josh King spurned a promising opportunity to grab another with the first meaningful chance at the Stadium of Light, blasting over the crossbar after making an untracked run to latch onto Alex Iwobi’s inch-perfect through ball.

King’s wayward effort ultimately proved to be one of the brightest moments of an underwhelming first period that required minimal activity from either goalkeeper.

Frustratingly for the neutral, the cagey nature of the contest continued after the HT break, forcing Régis Le Bris and Alvaro Arbeloa to make double changes to their respective sides around the midway point of the second period in a bid to add some much-needed impetus to proceedings.

One of Le Bris’ substitutes, Wilson Isidor, went agonisingly close to making an immediate impact when he fired against the upright following an incisive counter-attack.

Fortunately for Isidor, he was presented with the chance to make amends in the 75th minute when his fellow substitute Habib Diarra raced down the right flank and played a low cross that evaded the charging Bernd Leno, leaving the striker with the simple task of stroking home his seventh PL goal.

Romaine Mundle drilled a late chance straight at Leno, but his miss proved insignificant as Isidor’s strike clinched Sunderland’s first win of the season, just days after he penned a new five-year contract with the club. 

The Cottagers will finish the weekend no higher than 15th after starting a PL season with consecutive defeats for the first time in six years, while the hosts climb to 11th spot for the time being. 

Flashscore Man of the Match: Granit Xhaka (Sunderland) 

Catch up on the match stats with Flashscore

Related Articles