A goal on his debut from Pavel Pogrebnyak helped Fulham to a 2-1 victory over Stoke City at Craven Cottage on Saturday.
The 28-year old controlled a wayward John Arne Riise shot to rifle home past Thomas Sorensen, making himself an instant hero in place of the departed Bobby Zamora.
As Stoke pushed and pushed to find an equaliser - Kenwyne Jones was a culprit - Fulham made it 2-0 when Clint Dempsey fired a 30-yard effort that hit the crossbar, rebounded off Sorensen's back and into the net.
Ryan Shawcross prevented a third when both goalscorers combined, while Matthew Upson almost halved the deficit with a volley in the 47th minute.
Ricardo Fuller, Jermaine Pennant and Ryan Shotton were all brought on and their introduction paid off when Shawcross made it 2-1, flicking in a Pennant cross, but that was as good as it got for Stoke.