Fulham 1 - 0 Sunderland: Hodgson backs Zamora for England after striker sends Fulham into upper tier

Published on Sunday 6 December 2009 23:27

FULHAM striker Bobby Zamora fired his club back into the top half of the Barclays Premier League then taunted his critics with his celebration at Craven Cottage.

The 28-year-old struck early on against Steve Bruce's men then pushed team-mate Damien Duff out of the way to finish off his gesture, which appeared to be aimed at home fans.

While Zamora's work-rate is appreciated by manager Roy Hodgson, his goal against Sunderland was only his tenth in two seasons since arriving from West Ham.

It means Fulham leapfrog Sunderland into eighth, with their form reliant on home performances – they have not lost on their own turf since September.

Tennis legend Martina Navratilova was seated next to Black Cats chairman Niall Quinn in the directors' box – and she saw Zamora hit the net with a winner after seven minutes.

Duff laid the ball back to John Pantsil on the right flank and when the ball came over, Zamora zipped in front of Phil Bardsley to head home. It was his sixth goal of the season and sparked a volatile celebration. He told his critics to "shut up" after pushing team-mate Duff in the chest.

Sunderland's poor start also included a booking for Kieran Richardson, triggering a suspension as it was his fifth of a season in which he has already been banned following a red card.

Erik Nevland also picked up a yellow card for sliding into the back of Anton Ferdinand's calves when the Sunderland defender was shielding the ball out of play.

It led to Ferdinand being replaced by Nyron Nosworthy, with the substitute fouling Zamora with his first act and Clint Dempsey sending the free-kick just over the crossbar. USA international Dempsey, who England will face at the World Cup, also went wide when Zamora had beaten Michael Turner to flick on inside the penalty area.

Nevland was guilty of one of the misses of the season before the break when Zamora found him in the six-yard area from Dempsey's lob into the danger zone. Marton Fulop saved the first effort and Nevland blasted over the rebound with the goal at his mercy.

At the other end, Konchesky's under-hit backpass presented a chance for Kenwyne Jones to score but the Trinidad and Tobago forward had his finish saved by Mark Schwarzer.

The visitors got even closer to an equaliser when Darren Bent met Richardson's cross with a volley that flew just wide.

Former Tottenham striker Bent also flashed wildly over the crossbar after Fulham failed to deal with a straightforward cross from Andy Reid.

After the game, Hodgson compared Zamora to Emile Heskey and put him forward as a possible World Cup candidate. "Maybe he reads too many of these blogs that people write in to," said Hodgson. "Our fans in the Hammersmith end actually constantly chant his name. But these people who write into the club's blogs, they're the real experts and they want something that he's not been able to give them – 30 goals a year. But he has been a key player for us."

Zamora troubled Sunderland's Turner and Nosworthy in the same way as Heskey does for England at international level – and neither have good scoring records. Trinidad and Tobago have sounded out Zamora about playing for them but he is still eligible for England.

Hodgson added: "Heskey is a very powerful player, a very willing player and a hard-working player. Bobby is more technical. You could make a case for one or two more unusual selections (for next year's World Cup], players who maybe have something a little bit extra.

"You might come up with an argument for someone like a Bobby Zamora, the type of player we don't have too many of in the English Premiership."