Fulham boss Mark Hughes was delighted at Fulham’s “totally dominant” victory over Wigan Athletic at Craven Cottage last Saturday, a win which lifted the Cottagers back into the top half of the EPL.

After an early-season unbeaten run dominated by draws and recent “controversial” defeats against Tottenham and West Bromwich Albion, the win – clinched by a first-half double-strike from America forward Clint Dempsey – evoked praise from Hughes.

He said: “There was a real intent to our play and we were totally dominant, particularly in the first half.

“Some of the approach play was on a par with anything we have produced this season. We don’t have the points on the board we feel we have deserved.”

 

There was further delight for Fulham’s faithful when striker Andrew Johnson made his first Craven Cottage appearance for ten months, coming on as an 80^th-minute substitute.

It was only his second Fulham appearance since groin and knee injuries sidelined him. And the 29-year-old praised Fulham fans for his reception.

He said: “To come back to a set of fans like that is amazing. It sent a shiver down my spine. I just need to get match fit now and give them back what they gave me.”

Fulham entertain Aston Villa this Saturday, a side they lead on goal difference in an increasingly-congested EPL mid-table.

Meanwhile, midfielder Dickson Etuhu is being earmarked for a return to the first-team squad for next Wednesday’s EPL trip to Chelsea after over a month out with an ankle injury.