Aleksandar Mitrovic inspired Fulham in picking up their first Premier League points of the season, scoring twice and winning the battle against Burnley’s big defenders.
Centre backs Ben Mee and James Tarkowski are used to roughing it themselves, though they left Craven Cottage with only bruises and a comprehensive defeat for their efforts.
Mitrovic ran them ragged all afternoon. Since his debut for Fulham in February, he has grabbed 15 league goals, and no player has scored more in the top four tiers of English football.
So Fulham are off the mark, but Sean Dyche’s Burnley must go back to the drawing board.
There were changes galore at a Craven Cottage. Five for Fulham as they aimed to avoid a third successive loss, and six for Burnley following their European travels.
This was already Burnley’s eighth competitive fixture of the season, and their opponents know a thing or two about juggling the Europa League with the Premier League.
Fulham reached the final of the competition in 2010, while Burnley are on the brink of exiting Europe after their 3-1 loss to Olympiacos in Athens on Thursday.
The heavy legs were evident, and the defending was very un-Dyche like.
This was a contest between two contrasting styles. Fulham’s short, sharp passing play was easy on the eye. Burnley at times took more of an ‘ave it approach.
The slick surface suited the Cottagers more and within four minutes, they had the lead.
Jean Michael Seri, the midfielder who signed from Nice for £25million in the summer, was just short of 30 yards when he received the ball and shifted it to his right.
He let rip a shot that raced into the top corner, and while Joe Hart threw himself in the air, the Burnley goalkeeper could get nowhere near it.
England manager Gareth Southgate, in attendance at Craven Cottage, will not have held it against Hart.
On the 10-minute mark, Burnley got themselves back in it. A loose pass by Maxime Le Marchand gifted possession to Aaron Lennon, who sprinted then squared the ball to Jeff Hendrick.
It looked like the forward had taken too long when his initial shot was blocked by Denis Odoi, but Hendrick got a second opportunity and scored. Game on.
Fulham had their lead back after 36 minutes when Seri took a corner short and Cairney crossed, finding Mitrovic at the back post. Untroubled, he headed home.
Two minutes later, it was that man again. A cross by Luciano Vietto was inviting and Mitrovic headed beyond Hart a second time. More lazy marking by Burnley.
The visitors had it all to do, though they gave themselves a lifeline ahead of half time. A Charlie Taylor corner led to a header by Mee finding Tarkowski for a tap-in.
Fulham looked for an offside flag that never came, and replays suggested they had a case.
After the break, Andre Schurrle kissed the crossbar with a curling shot from the corner of the 18-yard box.
The German was later fortunate to avoid a straight red when he lunged in on Ashley Westwood after losing control of the ball. Referee David Coote decided a yellow sufficed. Dyche disagreed.
In the 73rd minute, Mitrovic came agonisingly close to securing his hat-trick when he slid in to meet a Timothy Fosu-Mensah cross. He was inches away as the ball skidded by him.
Schurrle could have wrapped things up when he had only Hart to beat. An outstretched leg from the former Manchester City man denied Fulham their fourth goal – for now.
Moments later, Mitrovic struck a low shot from 20 yards that smacked the woodwork. Schurrle gladly picked up the rebound, composed himself and got the goal his performance deserved.
Even in the five minutes of stoppage time, with Fulham two goals to the good, Mitrovic could be seen busting a gut to get the ball back. He had hounded Burnley’s defenders from the first minute to the last, proving their ultimate downfall.
