2012/3 SUNDERLAND 2 FULHAM 2
Stephane Sessegnon got Sunderland out of jail as they fought back to snatch a draw against Fulham.
The Londoners led 2-0 after 35 minutes through Dimitar Berbatov's audacious penalty and Sascha Riether's close-range finish.
However, Craig Gardner, who had conceded the spot-kick, dragged the Black Cats back into it when he too converted a penalty before the break, and Sessegnon prevented his side from slipping to a fourth successive Barclays Premier League defeat when he fired home with 20 minutes remaining.
Both sides could have won it in a frenetic conclusion with Adam Johnson furious not to be awarded a third penalty of the afternoon when his shot appeared to strike substitute Emmanuel Frimpong's arm, but they had to make do with a point apiece.
Martin Jol, whose Fulham side arrived on Wearside three points better off than their hosts, could be forgiven for thinking they should have been leaving with a victory, but the Black Cats were just about value for their draw after a woeful stat to the game.
Sunderland desperately needed a win after taking just one point from their last four games, but for more than half an hour, they looked painfully incapable of achieving it.
They found themselves in deep trouble by the time 35 minutes had elapsed and worryingly for manager Martin O'Neill, Fulham barely had to break sweat to claim their advantage.
They took the lead with 16 minutes gone when Gardner, to his astonishment and that of the locals, was adjudged to have tripped Ashkan Dejagah inside the box with referee Mark Halsey taking an eternity to point to the spot.
Berbatov's execution from 12 yards was little short of outrageous as he stuttered up to the ball before side-footing it to the left of keeper Simon Mignolet, who was rooted to the spot as he attempted to second-guess the Bulgarian.
It could have been worse for the Black Cats nine minutes later when Dejagah got in on the left, only to fire across goal, but the respite was temporary.
Johnson's 35th-minute corner was cleared by, of all people, Berbatov and as the home side slept, Fulham broke at pace and in numbers before Mignolet could only parry Dejagah's shot from a tight angle to Riether, who gleefully tapped home.
Sunderland, who had gone close through John O'Shea's second-minute header, were in complete disarray, but were handed a way back into the game within two minutes.
Central defender Philippe Senderos literally got to grips with striker Danny Graham as the pair challenged for a ball over the top and Mr Halsey awarded a second penalty to equal surprise.
Where Berbatov had opted for guile, Gardner chose power to smash a rising shot - his side's first on target - past Mark Schwarzer to give them hope.
The home side were instantly rejuvenated as they set about the task of restoring parity, and Sessegnon might have levelled with a minute of the first half remaining when he unleashed a right-foot shot which Schwarzer bundled around the post.
O'Neill's men headed for the dressing room at least having taken the edge off the manager's half-time team-talk, but knowing they needed to improve drastically if they were to turn the game around.
They might have been back on level terms within two minutes of the restart when Steven Fletcher and Graham combined for the fist time of note in the game, but the former Swansea frontman scuffed his shot tamely at Schwarzer.
Berbatov blasted high and wide from distance after finding space on the right with 49 minutes gone, but the visitors continued to pose the greater threat with Berbatov in imperious form.
Alfred N'Diaye went close twice within a minute, firing just too high from distance and then heading well over Schwarzer's crossbar, but the Black Cats were starting to cause problems on a sustained basis.
The game would have effectively been over had Mignolet not raced from his line to block Berbatov's effort after Bryan Ruiz had played him in with a lofted pass, and the save proved crucial within seconds when Sessegnon drilled home from 15 yards after the ball broke invitingly for him.
Fletcher was inches away from getting a touch to Gardner's driven 75th-minute cross, but Berbatov passed up a glorious opportunity to win it seconds later when he shot weakly at Mignolet.
Johnson was convinced Frimpong had handled his 79th-minute drive and it took a point-blank block by Brede Hangeland to deny Fletcher a headed winner, but Sunderland were at last able to end their damaging losing run.
SUNDERLAND v FULHAM
2012/2013 Sat 02 Mar Sunderland 2 - 2 Fulham Premier League
Sun 18 Nov Fulham 1 - 3 Sunderland Premier League
2011/2012 Sun 06 May Fulham 2 - 1 Sunderland Premier League
Sat 19 Nov Sunderland 0 - 0 Fulham Premier League
2010/2011 Sat 30 Apr Sunderland 0 - 3 Fulham Premier League
Sat 11 Dec Fulham 0 - 0 Sunderland Premier League
2009/2010 Sun 28 Feb Sunderland 0 - 0 Fulham Premier League
Sun 06 Dec Fulham 1 - 0 Sunderland Premier League
2008/2009 Tue 27 Jan Sunderland 1 - 0 Fulham Premier League
Sat 18 Oct Fulham 0 - 0 Sunderland Premier League
2007/2008 Sat 05 Apr Fulham 1 - 3 Sunderland Premier League
Sat 27 Oct Sunderland 1 - 1 Fulham Premier League
2005/2006 Thu 04 May Sunderland 2 - 1 Fulham Premiership
Mon 02 Jan Fulham 2 - 1 Sunderland Premiership
2002/2003 Sat 01 Mar Fulham 1 - 0 Sunderland Premiership
Sat 14 Sep Sunderland 0 - 3 Fulham Premiership
2001/2002 Sat 19 Jan Sunderland 1 - 1 Fulham Premiership
Wed 22 Aug Fulham 2 - 0 Sunderland Premiership
1989/1990 Tue 03 Oct Fulham 0 - 3 Sunderland League Cup
Sunderland won 4-1 on aggregate
Tue 19 Sep Sunderland 1 - 1 Fulham League Cup
1987/1988 Tue 01 Mar Sunderland 2 - 0 Fulham Third Division
Tue 29 Sep Fulham 0 - 2 Sunderland Third Division
1985/1986 Sat 05 Apr Sunderland 4 - 2 Fulham Second Division
Sat 02 Nov Fulham 1 - 2 Sunderland Second Division
1979/1980 Sat 29 Dec Fulham 0 - 1 Sunderland Second Division
Sat 25 Aug Sunderland 2 - 1 Fulham Second Division
1978/1979 Sat 20 Jan Fulham 2 - 2 Sunderland Second Division
Sat 16 Sep Sunderland 1 - 1 Fulham Second Division
1977/1978 Sat 01 Apr Sunderland 2 - 2 Fulham Second Division
Sat 05 Nov Fulham 3 - 3 Sunderland Second Division
1975/1976 Sat 07 Feb Fulham 2 - 0 Sunderland Second Division
Tue 26 Aug Sunderland 2 - 0 Fulham Second Division
1974/1975 Sat 22 Feb Sunderland 1 - 2 Fulham Second Division
Sat 16 Nov Fulham 1 - 3 Sunderland Second Division
1973/1974 Sat 16 Mar Sunderland 1 - 0 Fulham Second Division
Sat 20 Oct Fulham 0 - 2 Sunderland Second Division
1972/1973 Sat 24 Mar Fulham 1 - 2 Sunderland Second Division
Sat 28 Oct Sunderland 0 - 0 Fulham Second Division
1971/1972 Sat 29 Apr Fulham 0 - 0 Sunderland Second Division
Sat 11 Dec Sunderland 2 - 1 Fulham Second Division
1967/1968 Mon 28 Aug Fulham 3 - 2 Sunderland First Division
Wed 23 Aug Sunderland 3 - 0 Fulham First Division
1966/1967 Sat 06 May Sunderland 3 - 1 Fulham First Division
Sat 01 Apr Fulham 3 - 1 Sunderland First Division
1965/1966 Sat 19 Mar Fulham 3 - 0 Sunderland First Division
Sat 25 Sep Sunderland 2 - 2 Fulham First Division
1964/1965 Sat 27 Feb Fulham 1 - 0 Sunderland First Division
Sat 17 Oct Sunderland 0 - 0 Fulham First Division
1958/1959 Wed 03 Sep Fulham 6 - 2 Sunderland Second Division
Wed 27 Aug Sunderland 1 - 2 Fulham Second Division
1951/1952 Sat 12 Apr Fulham 0 - 1 Sunderland First Division
Sat 24 Nov Sunderland 2 - 2 Fulham First Division
1950/1951 Sat 30 Dec Fulham 1 - 1 Sunderland First Division
Sat 02 Sep Sunderland 0 - 1 Fulham First Division
1949/1950 Sat 08 Apr Fulham 0 - 3 Sunderland First Division
Sat 22 Oct Sunderland 2 - 0 Fulham First Division
Sunderland Premier League Fixtures
Saturday August 17
15:00 Premier League Sunderland v Fulham
Saturday August 24
15:00 Premier League Southampton v Sunderland
Saturday August 31
17:30 Premier League Crystal Palace v Sunderland
Saturday September 14
15:00 Premier League Sunderland v Arsenal
Saturday September 21
15:00 Premier League West Brom v Sunderland