Fulham vs Sunderland LIVE

Stewart's injury could have a massive impact on the Black Cats' play-off hopes.

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Patterson 7

Hume 6

Ballard 8

Batth 7

Alese 7

Neil 7

Michut 8

Roberts 7

Amad 7

Clarke 7

Stewart 7 (Ba 20, 6)

An excellent first half from Sunderland, with Clarke's early goal putting them in the driving seat.

Amad has had a couple of opportunities to extend their lead but has been unable to take them.

Fulham have had chances too, with Tosin heading a good opportunity over the bar while it needed a brilliant block from Ballard and then the toe of Patterson to keep out a volley from Pereira.

The big news, though, has been the loss of Ross Stewart to injury. He was stretchered off midway through the first half with what looked like an ankle problem. Massive blow if he is out for any length of time.

Wilson booked for a foul on Michut in the build-up to that Amad chance

Chance for Amad right on the stroke of half-time when he is played through by Michut, but he just can't get a clean shot away and it deflects off a defender for a corner

Four minutes to be played

Alese booked for a foul on Wilson

Solomon crosses from the byline on the left, it drops for the unmarked Pereira to hit on the volley but Ballard makes an incredible block on the line and the ball then ricochets off Patterson and stays out

Roberts beats Kurzawa on the right, cuts the ball back for Amad but he sends his low shot narrowly wide of the right-hand post

Fulham win a corner on the right, it's swung into the box and Kurzawa flicks it on but Vinicius can't make contact at the far post

Wilson fires a shot wide of the left-hand post from the edge of the box

Fulham appeal for a penalty as Pereira goes down in the box under a challenge from Ba, but the ref isn't convinced

Low effort from Amad from the edge of the box, easy save for Rodak

This is not good.

Nightmare. #safc pic.twitter.com/tAuenujUP9

ON - Ba

OFF - Stewart

Stewart departs on a stretcher

Stewart tussles for the ball with Diop and immediately pulls up, sinks to the ground and waves to the bench for attention. Looks painful. He's not going to carry on

Corner to Fulham on the left, it's played out to Pereira on the left corner of the box and his cross is met by Tosin with a downward header, but the ball bounces up and over the bar

What a start to the game - Sunderland fans in full cry!

6,000 #safc fans down here at Craven Cottage. pic.twitter.com/2rZKoluPq5

Clarke dispossesses Diop, gets into the box and slots his finish beyond Rodak into the bottom right-hand corner

Early chance for Fulham, which came when Amad looked to be fouled but the ref allowed play to continue. Ended up with a shot from Wilson from the edge of the box, but Patterson made the save

Fulham kick off the first half, with Sunderland attacking the home end

The teams have emerged from the tunnel here at Craven Cottage

Just one change for Sunderland this afternoon

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Here's how Fulham line up this afternoon

Your @EmiratesFACup Fulham! #FULSUN pic.twitter.com/51qbI4Za9Z

Sunderland: Patterson, Hume, Ballard, Batth, Alese, Michut, Neil, Roberts, Amad, Clarke, Stewart

Subs: Bass, Huggins, Ba, Bennette, Rigg, Kelly, Ekwah, Johnson, Watson

Here we are then - all set for Sunderland's first appearance in the fourth round of the FA Cup since 2015

Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch and former head coach Marcelo Bielsa have given rave reviews about Sunderland new boy Joe Gelhardt. The Whites youngster has signed a season-long loan deal with the Black Cats, after featuring 18 times for Leeds so far this season.

The 20-year-old has been used sparingly under Marsch this season, but is highly thought of at Elland Road. After bursting on the the scene with Wigan back in 2019, Leeds wasted no time in capturing the youngster's signing.

Gelhardt has found himself somewhat unfortunate to be on the fringes, given the fine form of Spaniard Rodrigo, who is Leeds' top goal scorer this season. Joffy, as he's known among the Whites fanbase, impressed Marsch during their mid-season friendlies as part of the World Cup break.

“Well, I think first of all, he's [Gelhardt] had a really good last four weeks,” Marsch said when asked about the youngster after the City clash. “We had an individual meeting with him two days ago and we told him that.

“I thought today when he came into the match, he was dangerous and he was effective and he was intensive and he had a real positive effect in the match. So I’m pleased with him and it was really unlucky for him, specifically in the one that slides past the second post that he wasn't able to come up with a goal.”

Tony Mowbray's sees Sunderland's FA Cup fourth round tie at Fulham as a chance for his side to test their credentials against Premier League opposition - and insists he will not 'put the kids in' tiday. The Black Cats' Championship campaign takes precedence but the head coach is not taking the cup lightly, not least because he respects Sunderland's history in the competition and this is the 50th anniversary of the club's famous triumph against Leeds United at Wembley in 1973.

Sunderland are part of a pack of clubs who are in with a chance of a Championship play-off place and Mowbray says Saturday's game at Craven Cottage is an opportunity to measure themselves against a Fulham side that finished top of the pile last season to earn promotion to the top flight and now sits seventh in the table and is in with a chance of European qualification. "The history of every football club is crucially important," said Mowbray.

"I'm very conscious of 50 years ago [when Sunderland last lifted the FA Cup]. We want to do well, but we have to put into context that we're playing against a team that is one of the form teams in the Premier League at this moment.

"I know they have lost two really tight games [against Newcastle United and Spurs] and I have watched both of those games and they probably didn't deserve to lose either of them, but they did. I think the balance for their manager is whether they try and find a winning way again to get more confidence and belief, or do they look to the next league game and keep going and see if they can qualify for Europe?

"When I look at their squad, even the players that haven't played on a regular basis are still players that played every week in the Championship last year. The likes of Tom Cairney isn't a regular starter, Harry Wilson hasn't been a regular starter ... and yet they ripped the Championship to shreds last year, they were way too good for that division.

"Whoever they play, whatever team they put out, they are going to be really difficult to play against and we should be ready for that. I don't see it as a game where we put all the kids in and it doesn't really matter, it's a game where we will have a huge travelling support and we need to go and try and be competitive against a really good team.

"Let's see where we are; let's check out our credentials almost and see if we can compete with a team that is flying pretty high in the Premier League."

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Sunderland may dip into the transfer market to find a replacement for skipper Corry Evans with the midfielder set to miss the remainder of the season. The Black Cats confirmed on Thursday that the Northern Ireland international had suffered cruciate ligament damage in Sunday's win against Middlesbrough at the Stadium of Light and needs to go under the knife.

And with Evans expected to sit out the rest of their campaign, head coach Mowbray said today that the club could look to bring in another midfielder to fill the gap left by the influential 32-year-old. Homegrown midfielder Dan Neil can play in the deep-lying role that Evans normally occupies and the club this week signed 21-year-old Pierre Ekwah from West Ham, although Mowbray says Ekwah is not in the same mould as Evans.

"We've had some initial conversations [about transfers] so we just have to wait and see how it impacts on the other stuff that we're trying to do," said Mowbray. "We have added extra competition with Pierre Ekwah and we're pushing on with other areas of the pitch but we've got a few days to potentially to look at it and see if something could be done.

"Watching Pierre today in training, he looks full of energy, he's got a lovely left foot and will bring balance to the squad - it's just that he hasn't played a first-team game yet. So he wasn't a replacement for Corry, he was brought into supplement what we have and we've obviously got to be careful that we don't end up with a load of kids in such a crucial part of the pitch.

"Pierre doesn't do what Corry does in terms of sitting behind the ball and having that discipline to break up counter-attacks, he's a footballer who wants to play passes and drive on towards the box. He's a young boy and it's hard to have the discipline that all the experience Corry has brings.

"He's not a replacement for Corry so we'll have to see what the next few day brings, whether there's the opportunity to bring in someone who is similar to Corry."

Hello and welcome to our live blog coverage of Fulham vs Sunderland from Craven Cottage. It's FA Cup all the way today as Tony Mowbray's Black Cats look to pull off what would be a big Premier League scalp in the fourth round.

Marco Silva has Fulham flying high in the Premier League, but Sunderland are in excellent Championship form too. After beating Shrewsbury Town late on in round three, Mowbray knows this will be a far sterner test of Sunderland's credentials. but after beating Middlesbrough last time out, confidence is high.

Ross Stewart is set to lead the line on the banks of the Thames today, with new signings Pierre Ekwah and Isaac Lihadji elligbile if selected. Joe Gelhardt is cup-tied after playing for Leeds United agaisnt Cardiff. James Hunter is in London today to bring you all the latest as it happens.