Fulham secure long-awaited Championship win
Fulham finally stopped the rot as they won in the Sky Bet Championship for the first time since August with a 4-2 romp at Barnsley.
Slavisa Jokanovic's men, who were the early-season pacesetters, had gone six league games without a victory, but they put that right in an action-packed game at Oakwell that included three goals in five first-half minutes.
Goals from Lucas Piazon, Sone Aluko, Scott Malone and Chris Martin did the damage, though Barnsley twice took the lead through Marley Watkins and Sam Winnall.
The Reds, who had Josh Scowen sent off in the second half, have endured a similar run of form to their visitors and have now not won in five games and on this evidence contrasting seasons look on the cards.
It had started so well for Barnsley as they surged into a fourth-minute lead, though were thankful for some criminal play by the visitors.
Playing the ball out of defence, Stefan Johansen casually passed straight to Barnsley's Sam Morsy, whose first-time pass sent Watkins through on goal and there was no mistake with the finish as the Reds striker drilled into the bottom corner.
That set the tone for an afternoon where attack was the order of the day and a product of that was three goals in five minutes before the break.
After controlling the majority of play Fulham got their reward in the 37th minute and levelled when Piazon slashed home from Malone's cut-back for his first goal for the club.
Barnsley hit back four minutes later, though, as Morsy again played the perfect pass, this time to Winnall who converted off the post.
It was a goal the home support was still celebrating by the time Fulham had again drawn level, with Aluko nipping in to slide home Johansen's pass.
It was more of the same after the break as the visitors took the lead for the first time just 33 seconds into the second half through Malone.
The left-back cut inside and his ball in, which was almost certainly a cross, deceived a back-pedalling Adam Davies and flew into the net.
Malone was again the architect as Fulham gave themselves some breathing space midway through the second half as he whipped in a cross from the left which allowed Martin to break his duck with a powerful close-range header.
Things got worse for Barnsley two minutes later when Scowen was sent for an early bath after a poor tackle on Scott Parker and there was no way back from there.
Fulham had chances to power up their goal difference as Aluko skewed a good effort wide, while Malone should have capped a fine performance but he blazed over from eight yards.
Source : PA
Source: PA