MX23RW : Tuesday, December 24 00:31:00| >> :600:91791:91791:
Sunderland
Premier League
Mar 2, 2013 at 3pm UK
 
Fulham logo

2-2

Gardner (37' pen.), Sessegnon (70')
FT(HT: 1-2)
Riether (34'), Berbatov (16' pen.)

Sunderland comeback denies Fulham victory

Sunderland respond to going 2-0 down in the early going at home to Fulham and earn a point late on thanks to Stephane Sessegnon.

Sunderland recovered from 2-0 down to earn a point against Fulham at the Stadium of Light this afternoon.

Fulham's Dimitar Berbatov scores a penalty against Sunderland on March 2, 2013© AP Photos

Fulham built a two-goal lead early on thanks to Dimitar Berbatov and Sascha Riether but were denied all three points by a spirited Black Cats fightback.

The visitors took the lead early on from the penalty spot after Ashkan Dejagah was brought down by Craig Gardner.

After initially appearing to wave away Fulham protests, referee Mark Halsey elected to award a spot kick.

Fulham players celebrate with goalscorer Dimitar Berbatov after he converted a penalty kick against sunderland on March 2, 2013© PA Photos

Berbatov coolly slotted his penalty past Simon Mignolet for his 10th goal of the season.

Fulham claimed a two-goal advantage after 33 minutes when Sascha Riether stormed forward to turn home Dejagah's cross on the counter.

Fulham's Sascha Rirther celebrates scoring Fulham's second goal with teammates on March 2, 2013 © Owen Humphreys / PA Photos

Sunderland were handed a lifeline just two minutes later when Halsey pointed to the spot for a second time.

Sunderland's Craig Gardner celebrates after scoring his sides first goal against Fulham on March 2, 2013© PA Photos

Phillipe Senderos looked bemused after being penalised for a push in the area, with Garnder making no mistake from the spot to reduce the deficit.

On the hour, Sunderland equalised after breaking quickly when Berbatov was denied by Mignolet from point-blank range.

The Mackems got forward in numbers and Stephane Sessegnon was rewarded when he fired home Adam Johnson's deflected cross.

Martin O'Neill's men pressed for a winner in the closing stages but had to settle for a point as Fulham stayed strong.

ID:72065: cacheID:72065:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5434:
Written by
Liam Power
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Fulham's Dimitar Berbatov scores a penalty against Sunderland on March 2, 2013
Read Next:
Half-Time Report: Berbatov, Riether put Fulham in control
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd22155232112148
2Leeds UnitedLeeds22136341152645
3Burnley2212822891944
4Sunderland22127334181643
5Blackburn RoversBlackburn2111462518737
6Middlesbrough22105738281035
7West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom22811326161035
8Watford2110473028234
9Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds229582830-232
10Millwall217772118328
11Swansea CitySwansea227692424027
12Bristol City226972628-227
13Norwich CityNorwich226883734326
14Queens Park RangersQPR2251072328-525
15Luton TownLuton2274112538-1325
16Derby CountyDerby2266102728-124
17Coventry CityCoventry2266102834-624
18Preston North EndPreston2241172229-723
19Stoke CityStoke2257102330-722
20Portsmouth204882535-1020
21Hull City2247112131-1019
22Cardiff CityCardiff2146111934-1518
23Oxford UnitedOxford Utd2146112137-1618
24Plymouth ArgylePlymouth2146112245-2318


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!