Ashkan Dejagah scored a 69th-minute winner against Newcastle United as bottom-of-the-table Fulham won for the first time in 10 Premier League games.
The Cottagers had previously had two goals disallowed before the Iranian international struck from 20 yards to earn Felix Magath his maiden win as Whites boss.
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Newcastle, who were without Alan Pardew on the touchline as their manager started his seven-game suspension, thought that they should have had a stoppage-time penalty when goalkeeper Tim Krul went down in the box.
The Dutchman was called upon to deny Lewis Holtby's bending low shot in a first half of few chances, the best of which fell to Papiss Cisse, who saw his effort blocked by the recalled David Stockdale.
The pace quickened after the interval and there was plenty more goalmouth action, but Fulham were frustrated by the assistant referee as they had two goals disallowed before the hour mark.
Steve Sidwell squared for Pajtim Kasami to covert from close range only to see the flag raised, while Cauley Woodrow was deemed offside when prodding the rebound of Jonny Heitinga's shot into the net.
Heitinga's long-range effort had bounced off the underside of the crossbar and appeared to have dropped over the goalline, but the hawkeye system revealed it to be inches away from a goal.
Fulham finally got a slice of luck when they benefited from a Krul mistake midway through the second half, as Dejagah cut inside off the left and fired a low shot under the Newcastle goalkeeper.
The Magpies pushed for an equaliser, but, in the absence of injured top scorer Loic Remy, they rarely tested Stockdale in the second period, only then to be nearly gifted a lifeline in the final minutes.
Krul ventured forward for a stoppage-time corner and felt that he was impeded as he tried to meet the delivery, but referee Howard Webb was unmoved and soon blew the final whistle to Fulham's relief.
Results elsewhere this afternoon mean that the Cottagers remain four points from safety.
