Sunderland saved the best for last as they won a Premiership game on their own ground for the first time this season - at the final attempt.

After 28 top-flight matches dating back to December 15, 2002, goals from Anthony le Tallec and Chris Brown - his first in the Premiership - either side of half-time saw the Black Cats fend off another unwanted record.

No English side had ever gone a full season without winning a league game on their own pitch, and while the Wearsiders cannot avoid setting a new low points total with a final day trip to Aston Villa to come, the win at least gave the home fans among a crowd of 28,226 something to cheer.

Sunderland had to endure a tense final 14 minutes after Tomasz Radzinski pulled a goal back for the visitors, but for the first time since Liverpool left Wearside empty handed three and a half years ago, three Premiership points were banked by the home side.

For caretaker boss Kevin Ball, it was a tangible reward for his hard work as the club prepares for a new era.

The win came on the day that reports in Ireland named the investors behind Niall Quinn's prospective take-over bid as Sean Dunne, Sean Mulryan, and Jack Tierney.

Property developer Mulryan is the owner of Ballymore Homes, which has a property portfolio valued at approximately #15billion, and how the Black Cats could do with a share of his fortune as they prepare for life in the Coca-Cola Championship.

It has been a long, heart-rending, horrible season at the Stadium of Light where fans renowned for their loyalty had seen their side take a paltry four of the 54 points on offer before the game.

That record was one Ball and his players felt heartily embarrassed about, and one they intended to address at the last attempt.

There were a depressing number of empty seats in the stadium as the game kicked off, but by half-time, the unfamiliar sound of applause rang out into the Wearside night.

Fulham had not won a single league game away from home until their victory at Manchester City on Saturday - but they had led 1-0 at Sunderland last month before the game was abandoned.

However, despite the quality they boasted in midfield in Steed Malbranque and - until he limped off injured - Luis Boa Morte, it was the Black Cats who posed the greater threat.

Malbranque had volleyed over and Heidar Helguson headed wide before the home side forced their way in front with 32 minutes gone - with the help of two men who have been bit-part players for much of the campaign.

Winger Andy Welsh was in the side after returning from a loan spell at Leicester, and it was his cross which was glanced past goalkeeper Mark Crossley at the near post by on-loan striker le Tallec.

It was the Frenchman's fifth goal of the season in his 30th appearance and put him top of the goalscoring stakes, a graphic illustration of the club's problems this season.

For a change, the boos at the break were reserved for referee Mike Riley, the man who called off the first game, after he booked both Steve Caldwell and George McCartney for fouls but turned a deaf ear to the home crowd's appeals for a series of fouls perpetrated by the visitors.

But their mood was to change within 12 minutes of the restart when, after Simon Elliott, Philippe Christanval and Ian Pearce had all been yellow-carded, the Black Cats increased their lead.

Justin Hoyte had already miskicked in front of goal after full-back Nyron Nosworthy had marauded down the right when the former Gillingham defender set off once again.

Nosworthy let fly from 25 yards with a shot which Crossley could not hold, and Brown followed up to slam the loose ball into the empty net.

But for Pearce's header off the line, Tommy Miller would have made it 3-0 on 68 minutes with the home side for once brimming with confidence.

The mood changed slightly with 14 minutes remaining when Radzinski blasted a left-foot shot past Kelvin Davis, and substitute Collins John might have levelled within two minutes, but he fired into the side-netting from a tight angle.

Davis needed two attempts to cling on to an 85th-minute Wayne Bridge shot with Malbranque closing in, but for once a man who has had to deal with his fair share of criticism this season, enjoyed a little good fortune.

The final whistle sparked relieved celebrations as the red and white faithful headed for home with overdue smiles on their faces.

Sunderland caretaker boss Kevin Ball was in celebratory mood after seeing his side claim their first Premiershipp win of the season at the Stadium of Light against Fulham.

Goals from Anthony Le Tallec and Chris Brown either side of half-time secured all three points for the Black Cats in a top-flight match at the Stadium of Light for the first time since Liverpool lost on Wearside on December 15, 2002, 28 games previously.

Ball was understandably delighted with a deserved victory.

'From a selfish point of view, it's nice to get that win you want,' he said.

'But what's most important is our supporters and players and everybody connected with the club.

'I said to the players before the game, 'Let's send everybody home tonight with smiles on their faces', and I'm pleased to be able to report they have done that.

'The supporters were absolutely magnificent tonight. They got behind us when we needed them to, they kept on and on and on. It was absolutely brilliant.'

Le Tallec opened the scoring with a 32nd-minute header and Brown added his first Premiership goal 12 minutes after the break.

Fulham substitute Tomas Radzinski pulled one back with 16 minutes remaining but Ball's men were not about to surrender their lead.

'When you are 2-0 up in a game at times it's quite a difficult lead to keep,' he said.

'If they do get a goal back - and to be fair to Radzinski, it was a hell of a goal he scored - it does cause the twitches.

'But the boys held firm, which is important, and we were hitting them on the counter-attack.'

Fulham manager Chris Coleman admitted his side had not been good enough for much of the game.

'For 65 minutes we didn't play very well at all,' he said.

'In the last 20 minutes when we were 2-0 down, we ended up creating some chances, but it was too little, too late.

'I'm disappointed at the fashion in which we lost the game but I can't be too hard on the guys. We have just won the last three games.

'We were playing against a very determined team. It was their last chance to get that home win which they so desperately wanted and you could see that tonight.

'They were ready for it and better than us, it's as simple as that.

'They were first to the ball and for 70 minutes, they wanted it more than us but I'm not going to criticise my players too heavily. We know we are better than that.

'To be fair to them, we have won four out of six, so that's a great run for us. If we had maintained that form this season, we would not have had a problem. We would have been in the top 10, possibly top eight.'

Coleman's disappointment was increased by injuries to captain Luis Boa Morte, defender Ian Pearce and midfielder Papa Bouba Diop, which could keep them out of Sunday's clash with Middlesbrough.