Newcastle United picked up only their second win of the Premier League season but sit in a European place in the table with eight games gone.
On a day that was swung into United's favour after a clear red card for Nathaniel Chalobah, Newcastle did not turn down a written invitation to take three points from the newly promoted Cottagers. A 4-1 win was impressive enough but this could have been an even heavier scoreline with the Magpies almost going easy on Fulham after the break.
The Aleksandar Mitrovic headlines don't come back to hurt Newcastle
The former Newcastle star went into the game as an injury doubt, but fears he would be throwing United defenders around did not materialise. We didn't see the Mitro that has scored 10 goals for club and country this term and the star who blasted Fulham to promotion with 43 goals in 44 matches last season.
Instead, Mitrovic struggled to get into the game and looked more like the player who struggled at times in a Toon shirt. And when he went off injured it almost signalled the end of the road for Fulham fans with some leaving at half-time.
Miguel Almiron comes good when it matters
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe made a tough call before kick off and left out Ryan Fraser from the starting line-up. Almiron - who managed just one cross against Bournemouth - may have been lucky not to be dropped after the 1-1 draw a fortnight ago.
But he was in fantastic fettle at Craven Cottage and after an exquisite volley to double the lead he set off looking for more after the break. He managed a brace in the end but was narrowly denied a hat-trick.
Miggy certainly has goals in his locker but his overall tally for Newcastle since his move from Atlanta United in 2019 is a mere 10 Premier League strikes. Hopefully, this can be the start of more but with three to his name he is joint top scorer.
Was this Eddie Howe's best away day for the Mags?
United had not scored four away from home since May 2021 when a 4-2 win over Leicester City delighted Steve Bruce. Howe has won by a three-goal margin before for United (3-0 against Norwich) but this was the first time he'd seen his side net four on the road.
There have been good wins away at Brentford, Southampton and Leeds under Howe. But this one had a real sparkle about it as Newcastle played some great stuff.
What will also please fans was Howe's attitude - even at 4-0. He said: "We wanted more - we weren't happy with what we had, always trying to score."
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