Fulham 1 Sunderland 0:PERHAPS THOSE doubting voices in the Hammersmith End and on Fulham's internet message boards will now be silenced.

Bobby Zamora has put up with much in his time as a Fulham player, a vocal minority of the club’s support fixating on his meagre goalscoring record and overlooking the industry upon which this side relies.

The sceptics might be more appreciative after this display. For once none of the locals had any cause for complaint.

Fulham sit eighth this morning, two points shy of Liverpool, with Zamora a cult figure transformed into a match winner. The striker reacted furiously to scoring this contest’s only goal, shoving away his team-mates Damien Duff and John Paintsil to stride back towards the halfway line as long pent-up frustration poured forth. The finger pressed to his lip gave way to a shout of “Shut your mouths” directed at those home supporters at the far end of the ground. There was no applause for the fans at the final whistle either, as he sprinted from the far corner straight down the tunnel.

“That was partly the frustration of not having scored as many goals as he’d have liked but maybe he reads too many of these blogs,” said his manager, Roy Hodgson. “Those people are the real ‘experts’, after all. They want something that he’s not been able to give them, ie 30 goals a year. But he is a key player for us and a wonderful technician. Michael Turner and Nyron Nosworthy will know they’ve been in a contest.”

The 28-year-old, a former England under-21 international, was recently called up by Trinidad and Tobago – for whom he has a passport – only to withdraw through injury. He is, therefore, still eligible.

This was his sixth goal of the season, more than he has managed in the two previous campaigns combined.

This game’s only goal was scored early, Duff and Paintsil combining on the right for the Ghanaian to fling over a cross which Sunderland’s back line should have cleared with ease. Instead Turner had been sucked out of position and Phil Bardsley merely dawdled for Zamora, ghosting in on his blind side, to nod powerfully down and in. The striker went on to thump a header against the bar before the break and then to set up Erik Nevland for what should have been a second, only for Marton Fulop to save.

The hosts’ profligacy might have cost them as Sunderland whipped up frantic pressure immediately after the interval with Kenwyne Jones and Darren Bent, twice, almost pilfering an equaliser. Yet the goal would not come and Sunderland, although much improved in the second half, were left stewing over a seven-match sequence away from home that has yielded only an unlikely point at Old Trafford.