Under a relentless downpour that turned Craven Cottage into a mud-slicked battlefield, Fulham clawed their way out of the relegation zone with a 1-0 victory over Sunderland on Saturday, November 22, 2025. The only goal came in the 87th minute — a moment of cold-blooded precision from Raul Jimenez, the 34-year-old Mexican striker whose instinctive finish ended a night of near-misses and frustration. Assisted by a perfectly timed cross from Samuel Chukwueze, the goal wasn’t pretty, but it was pure striker’s instinct — the kind that wins games when everything else has gone wrong.

When the Rain Stopped the Momentum

The match began with Sunderland, ranked fourth just days earlier, looking every bit the ‘high-flying’ side their Sky Sports headline suggested. But as the rain intensified — described by Fulham’s official site as “biblical” — their passing broke down. By halftime, they’d managed zero shots on target. Fulham, meanwhile, had 14 attempts, but too many were wild, too many were blocked, too many sailed over the bar. Fans groaned. The podcast The Fulhamish captured the mood: “We were definitely the better team… but we didn’t challenge their goalkeeper much at all,” said host Sammy at the 534-second mark. “So many shots but they were high and wide and mighty.”

Jimenez Delivers When It Matters Most

Then, with 3 minutes left, everything changed. Chukwueze, cutting in from the left, spotted Jimenez making a diagonal run behind the Sunderland defense. The ball was floated — not driven, not blasted — but placed with surgical care. Jimenez, slightly off-balance, stretched his leg like a man diving for a last-ditch tackle… and tapped it in. No celebration. No theatrics. Just a quiet nod to the bench. Sky Sports analyst William Bitibiri called it a “proper striker’s goal” — the kind that doesn’t need flair because it’s born from pressure, timing, and experience. For Jimenez, it was his third goal of the season — and arguably his most vital.

Relegation Relief and a Manager’s Breathing Room

The win lifted Fulham from 15th to 14th in the Premier League table, one point clear of the drop zone. It was manager Marco Silva’s fourth league win of the 2025-2026 campaign, and his second consecutive clean sheet at home. Silva, in his fourth season at the club, had been under mounting pressure after a string of away defeats. “This was about character,” he said post-match. “We didn’t play beautifully, but we didn’t stop believing.”

Sunderland’s Fall From Grace

For Sunderland, the defeat was a dagger. They entered the match four points behind league leaders Arsenal, with a realistic shot at top-four contention. Now, after dropping to sixth, they could tumble as low as 10th depending on results from Manchester United, Aston Villa, and Tottenham Hotspur — all of whom were playing their own matches that same evening. Their only shot on target? A tame 25th-minute effort saved by Fulham’s Bert Leno. “We had moments,” admitted manager Regis Le Bris, “but we didn’t punish them. And in this league, that’s fatal.”

Craven Cottage: A Fortress in the Storm

The win extended Fulham’s unbeaten home run to five matches. Craven Cottage, the historic ground at Stevenage Road in Fulham, London, has been their sanctuary since 1896. With a capacity of 25,700, the stadium rarely feels bigger than when the rain pours and the stakes rise. On Saturday, it felt like a cathedral of resilience. The pitch was a swamp, the fans soaked to the bone — but the noise never dropped. “They were the 12th man,” said Chukwueze afterward. “Even when we were awful, they never stopped.”

What This Means for the Season

Fulham now have 18 points from 16 games — still far from safe, but breathing. Their next three fixtures — away to Everton, home to Bournemouth, then a London derby against Chelsea — will define whether this win was a turning point or just a temporary reprieve. Sunderland, meanwhile, face a brutal run: home to Liverpool, away to Manchester City, then a critical clash with Brighton. Their top-four dreams are fading fast.

For Jimenez, the goal may have extended his career’s relevance. For Silva, it bought time. For Sunderland, it was a wake-up call. And for Fulham fans? It was a reminder that sometimes, survival doesn’t come with fireworks — just one moment, in the rain, when a veteran does what he’s paid to do.