LONDON — Struggling Sunderland capitalized on the early sending-off of Brede Hangeland to beat Fulham 3-1 on Sunday, earning only its second Premier League win and easing its worries at the bottom of the table.

Steven Fletcher, Carlos Cuellar and Stephane Sessegnon all scored in the second half for the visitors while Fulham was down to 10 men, with Hangeland given a straight red card for a reckless 30th-minute tackle.

Substitute Mladen Petric equalized in the 62nd minute for the mid-table home side but it couldn't hang on at Craven Cottage, with a bad day made worse by game-ending hamstring injuries to Sweden winger Alex Kacaniklic and Costa Rica playmaker Bryan Ruiz either side of halftime.

The victory lifted Sunderland three points clear of the bottom three, with Fletcher grabbing his sixth goal of the season.