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Fulham celebrate after Barry Hayles scores

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Fulham 2-0 Sunderland

A goalkeeping howler from Thomas Sorensen set Fulham on their way to three points in their first Premiership game at Craven Cottage.

Despite end-to-end football for the first hour goals were proving hard to come by until the Danish keeper's clearance fell to Steed Malbranque.

He set up Barry Hayles and the former Stevenage player shot home left-footed to break the deadlock.

Fulham wrapped up their maiden Premiership victory when Louis Saha, who had been their chief threat throughout, saw his shot take a vicious deflection past the helpless Sorensen.

Louis Saha holds off Stefan Schwarz

Both sides produced some excellent attacking football in the first half but Fulham settled the quicker and Saha twice threatened the Sunderland goal in the first 20 minutes.

First he shot wide from 18 yards and then headed wide from a corner after his rasping shot had been deflected over.

Sunderland forced Edwin van der Sar into action when Stefan Schwarz got on the end of a Bernt Haas corner.

And after 24 minutes the visitors' young defender George McCartney marked his call-up to the Northern Ireland squad earlier in the day by picking up a booking.

Saha was soon back in the action, shooting wide before forcing Sorensen into a brilliant save, and in between Kevin Phillips wasted a good chance for Sunderland, side-footing wide from Kevin Kilbane's cross.

Kilbane tried to break the deficit himself, but wasted the best chance so far when he fired wide of the target from the edge of the area just after the half-hour mark.

The chances sparked Sunderland into their best spell of the half and just before the break they nearly took a spectacular lead.

End-to-end

Haas whipped the ball over and Lilian Laslandes' overhead kick flew just to the right of Van der Sar's goal.

Fulham had the last chance of the half but the lively Saha again failed to hit the target.

Sunderland went straight back on the attack in the second 45 but Don Hutchison and Kevin Phillips both shot weakly when well placed.

The game continued to swing from end-to-end but chances were harder to come by than in the first half.

Sorensen saved well from Saha as the Frenchman threatened again after 57 minutes, but it was strike partner Hayles who finally broke the deadlock.

The chance came courtesy of Sorensen's howler when his appalling clearance fell to Malbranque.

He fed Hayles and the striker made no mistake to give the game the goal it deserved.

Five minutes from the end Saha finally got on the score sheet, when his long-range shot was deflected past Sorensen to confirm Fulham's first Premiership victory.

Fulham: Van der Sar, Brevett, Melville, Goma, Finnan, Collins, Malbranque, Goldbaek, Davis, Hayles, Saha. Subs: Symons, Harley, Taylor, Ouaddou, Betsy.

Sunderland: Sorensen, Haas, Gray, Craddock, McCartney, Schwarz, McCann, Kilbane, Hutchison, Phillips, Laslandes. Subs: Macho, Williams, Rae, Bellion, Quinn.

Referee: M Dean (The Wirral)