Fulham 1 Sunderland 4: Adam Johnson eyes World Cup spot after hat-trick

Adam Johnson set his sights on a late bid to cement a spot in England’s World Cup squad after his hat-trick helped Sunderland secure a morale-boosting win at Fulham.

The Black Cats winger has been frozen out of the Three Lions set-up in recent seasons as the 26-year-old struggled to impress following his Sunderland move in 2012.

Stranger things have happened and hopefully I can force my way back into the squad

Adam Johnson

However Johnson put his name firmly back on Roy Hodgson’s radar with a thrilling treble at Craven Cottage.

The former Manchester City put the visitors ahead before Ki Sung-Yeung doubled Sunderland’s lead, although Fulham midfielder Steven Sidwell temporarily halved the deficit in the 52nd minute.

But Johnson scored twice in the final 21 minutes, including a spot-kick effort to seal his hat-trick, and the midfielder hailed a “massive win” for Gus Poyet’s men, which sees them move to within a point of safety.

“I’ve been working hard and at the beginning of the year I said this was a new year, a new start and time to get back to how I had been playing in the past,” Johnson told BBC Sport.

“It was a massive win for us and there will be a few people looking over their shoulders. Everyone said we were adrift but we showed we could be a force.”

On his World Cup chances, Johnson added: “You never know. It’s always in the back of my mind. I felt the door was closed as each week went on, but hopefully I can keep playing like this.

“Stranger things have happened and hopefully I can force my way back into the squad.”