Tom Cairney emphatically ended 10 months of injury hell to earn Fulham a victory that pushes Cardiff boss Mick McCarthy closer to the exit.
Introduced to rapturous cheers at half-time, Fulham’s captain nearly took the roof off Craven Cottage when he hammered home a sumptuous left-foot half-volley 12 minutes later.
It was Cairney’s first action since December 19 last year and his first goal since netting against Crystal Palace almost exactly 12 months ago, finally drawing a line under the knee problems that have dogged him for so long.
That memorable strike, set up by Harry Wilson’s handiwork in weaving through Cardiff’s defence in the build-up, was followed up by a slick finish by Aleksandar Mitrovic as Fulham boosted their promotion hopes.