Martin Jol made two changes to the side that drew with Chelsea 12 days previous with Senderos replacing the injured Stephen Kelly and the fit-again Pogrebnyak coming in for Kerim Frei who dropped to the bench.

The game started brightly and Fulham fans thought the Whites had been awarded a penalty in the first minute when Gary Caldwell went through Clint Dempsey but the referee was instead pointing for a goal-kick. The Texan had been sent through by a lofted Pogrebnyak pass and Caldwell was fortunate his clumsy challenge went unpunished, although the contact was outside of the area.

Fulham were awarded a free-kick on the edge of the area eight minutes later and Damien Duff perhaps should have done better from Murphy’s square lay-off. Wigan responded with Victor Moses’ well-struck shot but it was too close to Mark Schwarzer who collected comfortably.

Pogrebnyak was looking dangerous and won a corner after his fierce strike from range was deflected wide on 18 minutes and Brede Hangeland’s glancing header went the wrong side of the post from the resulting set piece.

Dempsey was at the heart of Fulham’s best moves and on 29 minutes he was on the end of a lovely one-two with John Arne Riise but nobody could meet his teasing cross as he fizzed the ball along the six-yard line.

Fulham had dominated the half but were almost sucker-punched just before the interval when Wigan countered quickly through Moses. The Nigerian international ran half the pitch before finding Jordi Gomez whose shot was well kept out by Schwarzer who got down quickly at his near post.

The start of the second half was uneventful until a frenzied two minutes when both sides found the back of the net with well-taken finishes. 57 minutes were on the clock when a ricochet fell kindly to Emmerson Boyce who drilled the ball into the corner of the goal to hand the visitors the lead before Pogrebnyak responded almost instantly.

The Russian linked up well with Dempsey, as he had all game, before making space for himself and coolly squeezing the ball inside the right-hand post from 20 yards out.

The equaliser galvanised the Whites and Pogrebnyak almost doubled his tally five minutes later when he got on the end of Riise’s cross but, unfortunately for Fulham, his effort came back off the underside of the crossbar.

Fulham’s number seven was clearly in the mood and hit the woodwork again in the 78th minute after Al-Habsi had parried Dempsey’s left-footed strike straight to him – the pace with which it arrived made it difficult for Pogrebnyak to compose his shot though as he hit it into the ground before it grazed the post.

It looked as though the Whites would have to settle for a point but with a minute remaining Philippe Senderos rose highest to head home Riise’s pinpoint free-kick for his first Fulham goal. Kerim Frei, an 81st minute replacement for Danny Murphy, had been brought down in a wide position by Boyce and Riise’s cross from the set piece was begging to be attacked with the Swiss international duly obliging to secure maximum points for his Team.