Sunderland are leading Fulham 2-0 after 45 minutes of their Premier League match at Craven Cottage.
Fulham had a good chance to take the lead early on, but Dimitar Berbatov headed a corner straight into the hands of Vito Mannone.
Clint Dempsey was looking lively in the Fulham midfield and fired a low effort wide from the edge of the box.
David Stockdale then had to be alert in the Fulham goal to push Phil Bardsley's long-range strike wide.
The visitors came even closer, when Steven Fletcher beat Stockdale to a free kick, but headed over from close range.
Sunderland took the lead in the 29th minute of the match, when Adam Johnson curled a free kick into the top corner of the net.
Four minutes before half time, Sunderland doubled their advantage. Johnson fired in a low corner, which Ki Sung-Yueng met in the area to fire past the keeper.