Late goals from Jonathan Walters and Rory Delap secured victory for Stoke City in a drab Premier League encounter on Saturday.
After a dire first half, Walters first tapped in from three yards after he converted a cross-shot from Matthew Etherington.
In a final 10 minutes to forget for Fulham, Delap was then allowed to head in unopposed to secure the three points for the hosts.
The crispness of the autumnal weather at the Britannia was not reflected in the passing on the pitch in a desperate opening period.
The lack of class was reflected in the 21st minute when Peter Crouch scuffed a volley wide when unmarked from 10 yards out after Jermaine Pennant's cross evaded the leap of Hughes.
His next chance followed a Marc Wilson free-kick on the edge of the area in the 28th minute.
The ex-Portsmouth man's agricultural piledriver cannoned off the wall into Crouch's path close to goal, but scrambled defending saw the ball cleared for a corner.
Fulham had threatened even less than the hosts until the 40th minute when a delicate header from Bobby Zamora just looped to the right of the goal with Asmir Begovic well beaten.
A class move finally appeared in injury-time when Pennant, the most dangerous player on the field, zipped inside Clint Dempsey and played a one-two with Crouch.
An excellent first touch and drop of the shoulder got him clear, but his composure deserted him and he could only shoot agonisingly wide from within the six-yard box.
The second half continued in the same fashion as the team talk from both managers did not seem to stretch to keeping the ball on the ground.
It took until past the hour mark for the first chance when a trademark Delap throw-in caused chaos in the 64th minute.
Goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer meekly pushed the ball into Etherington's path on the far side of the six-yard box.
The winger headed across goal, and the Australian was first caught under the ball by Crouch, before he somehow scrambled back to scrape the ball away.
Stoke began to turn the screw and Delap then hit the post three minutes later, his cute turn inside Dempsey on the edge of the box leading to a shot that deflected off Steve Sidwell.
With momentum now with the visitors, Danny Murphy had to be at his sharpest to clear a Wilson header off the line from a corner.
The Stoke pressure finally told with a goal in the 80th minute from Walters.
The striker showed his predatory instinct to slot home a skewed shot from Etherington after Fulham failed to clear a corner.
Stoke continued to push forwarded and were rewarded with a second goal through Delap in the 87th minute.
The midfielder brushed past the non-existent challenge from Riise to nod in Etherington's free-kick from the left.