Bobby Zamora looked back to his best on Sunday afternoon as he struck twice in the first-half of Fulham's encounter with Blackpool.
Zamora opened the scoring with a clinical strike after taking advantage of some loose play from Blackpool. The striker made it two moments later with a well-directed header from Damien Duff's free-kick.
Speaking after the game, Danny Murphy was pleased to see Zamora back in such fine form.
"He's clinical,” said the Fulham Captain. “Last season he had probably the best season of his career and he's crucial for the way we play.
"I think sometimes we've had good possession and dominated games in the past and not had that cutting edge.
"We've had a lot of injuries this season with strikers, and you saw in the first-half today we ended up with a healthy lead which was much deserved because of clinical finishes, and that's what you get from him.
"The win has calmed us all down a bit, that's for sure. There's still a little bit of work to do, of course, but it gives us a little bit of breathing space.
"There's still a few home games to come and we're fairly confident. We've got everyone fit, and we've got the big man back again, and he's proved his worth today.”
Zamora, who had shrugged off the lingering effects of a head cold, looked back on his performance and gave his own assessment.
“I haven’t felt the greatest this week but I wanted to play,” he said. “I feel a bit shattered but I'm happy with the contribution. I always try and hold the ball up and bring people into play if I can – the goals are a bonus.
“I think the guys have done brilliant to be fair, the work ethic and performances have been there, just the goals haven't come. I think in the last few weeks we've put the ball in the back of the net and got a few important wins.”