Chris Baird described Fulham’s stunning defeat of Newcastle as an "incredible win" as Martin Jol’s side came from behind in a fascinating encounter on the banks of the Thames.
A frustrating first-half saw Danny Guthrie give the visitors the lead, but the Whites hit back with Danny Murphy slotting home a penalty seven minutes into the restart.
Clint Dempsey then bundled in the first of his three for the day, before adding a second in confident style. Bobby Zamora stepped up to despatch another penalty to make it 4-1, with Dempsey completing the score with a cool run and finish after Hatem Ben Arfa had added a late consolation for the Magpies.
"It was an incredible win," said Baird, who was a half-time replacement. "We had to up our game after what was a poor first-half performance really. Newcastle have been doing well and credit to them, because they made life difficult at times.
"That said, we knew that we needed to do better and after a few words at half-time we came out fighting. As a result we managed to turn things around in what was another memorable afternoon at the Cottage.
"After last weekend’s defeat at Blackburn we needed a win today, and thankfully we managed that. We knew it was going to be hard because they [Newcastle] are flying in the top half of the table. But we stopped them from playing and got our rewards in the end.
"Make no mistake, this was a big win for us, and we’ve picked up three really important points."
While Clint Dempsey picked up the match ball after another fine performance from the American forward, Baird impressed too, breaking Newcastle’s rhythm and protecting the back four.
"It was a good game to be part of, and obviously Clint did very well today. That’s his second hat-trick in three games and I think everyone was really pleased for him. But it’s a positive win for us all and one that we can certainly build on."