Tony Mowbray opted to name a full-strength line-up against Premier League Fulham for what was Sunderland's first appearance in the fourth round of the FA Cup since 2015. Black Cats boss Mowbray made just one change to the side that had started last weekend's 2-0 home win against Middlesbrough in the league, and that was forced upon him.
On-loan Paris St Germain midfielder Edouard Michut came into midfield in place of Corry Evans, who had limped out of the game early on at the Stadium of Light. A subsequent scan found that Evans had ruptured his cruciate ligament, meaning he is expected to sit out the remainder of the season.
Mowbray had suggested that Aji Alese might not be ready to start a second game so soon after playing 90 minutes against Boro given that he had not trained all week, and prior to that he had been out of action with an ankle issue since before Christmas, but he kept his place at left-back. Patrick Roberts also started the game against the club where he started his career.
