Fulham secured its first victory under new manager Roy Hodgson with a come from behind win over Aston Villa in their Premiership encounter on Sunday.

After a scrappy first half, Fulham looked to be heading for another defeat when an own goal by Aaron Hughes in the 69th minute put Villa in front. However Fulham were back on level terms through a Simon Davies and Jimmy Bullard capped an impressive come back by scoring the winner four minutes from the final whistle.

The Cottagers lined up a five-man midfield intent on snuffing any chances and hope for a draw. Aston Villa were clearly missing the pace and creativity of Ashley Young who was out with a suspension and the situation worsened when Gabriel Agbonlahor limped off the field at half time.

The visitors put up a better performance in the second half with Marlon Harewood creating a decent chance but with no avail. Villa finally took the lead in the 69th minute when Mellberg's flick on was deflected into the goal by a hapless Hughes.

Fulham started to show some attacking intent as they pressed ahead in search of an equalizer and got it in the 73rd minute when Bullard found Davis with a perfect cross and the midfielder made no mistake from close range.

With time running out, Bullard put Fulham in the lead in the 86th minute when his curling free kick beat Scott Carson from 25 yards out. The win gave Fulham vital three points and Hodgson will now be looking to build on the result as he attempts to pull Fulham out of the drop zone.