Fulham fell to a 0-3 defeat against Aston Villa at Craven Cottage on Monday afternoon.
Quick-fire goals from Jack Grealish and Conor Hourihane gave the visitors a commanding lead before Tyrone Mings prodded home early in the second half to put the match beyond doubt and seal the three points.
Scott Parker made three changes from the side that narrowly missed out on a point at Elland Rad a week ago. Club captain Tom Cairney returned to the starting XI, along with Bobby De Cordova-Reid and Tim Ream.
It was a crisp afternoon as the referee got the match under way, a distinct autumnal temperature accompanied by the reddish tones of the foliage in the trees opposite the Cottage on the riverbank.
With the sun slowly setting it was Aston Villa who took the lead in simple fashion. A chip over the Fulham back line from the right wing by John McGinn found the feet of Grealish, who controlled expertly in his stride and waited for the onrushing Alphonse Areola to commit before rifling home at the near post. A far from ideal start for Fulham.
After a small revival, Hourihane scored the visitors' second and compounded a poor start. McGinn again the provider, this time feeding the Irish midfielder inside the six yard box to slot home from close range.
With both wing-backs pressing forward at any given opportunity, we were finding joy down both flanks. Aleksandar Mitrović, marshalled vigilantly by a vocal Mings, could only muster a few headers on target. Each time the effort lacked power and Emiliano Martinez was there to gather with ease.
In the 37th minute Scott Parker was forced into a change. Kenny Tete, who had been a threat down the right wing, was forced off with what appeared to be a left ankle injury. An unfortunate end for the Dutchman who had been in fine form since joining the Club. In his place Aboubakar Kamara was brought on to play at right-wing back.
With the sky turning a deep orange, the referee brought the first-half to a close. Time to regroup for Fulham. A bullish and confident Aston Villa outfit were in complete control and came close to grabbing their third of the match when Ollie Watkins headed wide from close range on the stroke of half-time.
Two minutes into the second half the match was completely out of reach. A free-kick from the left wing was whipped in by Hourihane. A delightful cross sat up just outside the six yard box and was met by the outstretched leg of Mings. The imposing centre-back wheeled away in jubilation as the ball trickled past Areola. After VAR review the goal stood.
In the 56th minute we thought we had pulled one back rather fortuitously. Rather than crossing into the box Kamara unleashed a rasping effort from distance which Martinez spilled. De Cordova-Reid reacted the quickest and prodded home. However, upon review Mitro was adjudged to have committed a foul in the build-up and referee Stuart Attwell disallowed the goal. A tough break for a beleaguered Fulham side.
The chances kept coming for both sides. Grealish almost had his second of the game when he thundered a left-footed half volley over the bar from a tight angle and at the other end Mitro nodded fractionally wide from eight yards out.
An evening to forget quickly for Fulham was brought to a close with Aston Villa comfortable in their defensive shape and lofty lead.
We are back in action on Thursday evening as we take on Brentford in the Carabao Cup.