Fulham edged closer to Premier League survival with a comprehensive victory over relegation-threatened Blackpool at Craven Cottage.
Bobby Zamora's five-minute double salvo in the first half proved the catalyst as the Cottagers climbed into the top half of the Premier League.
The 30-year-old showed great composure to latch onto a wayward James Beattie pass and smash home in the 23rd minute before heading home Damien Duff's right-wing free-kick five minutes later.
Dickson Etuhu settled the result with a 72nd-minute tap-in to secure Fulham's fifth home win in six matches.
The game also proved a welcome return to footballing action following the unveiling of the much discussed - and in some quarters maligned - Michael Jackson statue prior to the game by chairman Mohamed Al Fayed.
Heading into the 100th league meeting between the pair, the hosts were boosted by Zamora's recovery from illness and Steve Sidwell's return to the squad after a knee injury.
Blackpool manager Ian Holloway made two changes to the side that drew 2-2 at Blackburn a fortnight ago, with Beattie and Brett Ormerod replacing Luke Varney and Jason Puncheon in the starting line-up.
It was the home side who controlled the opening proceedings, with Moussa Dembele regularly testing Alex Baptiste down the left and skipper Danny Murphy seeing a low drive blocked.
Charlie Adam blazed over Blackpool's first chance in the ninth minute, although his 35-yard effort never looked like it would add to his nine-goal haul this season.
Despite the midfielder's shot, it was Fulham who were looking the most dangerous and hit the post in the 16th minute.
Carlos Salcido's left-wing cross was headed back by Zamora to Dembele, whose superb lay-off was met by an equally well-struck shot by Duff that goalkeeper Richard Kingson did well to tip onto the woodwork.
Fulham again came close to breaking the deadlock five minutes later but Kingson was on hand to block another drilled shot, this time Chris Baird the man denied.
However, the Ghana international could do nothing to prevent Zamora's smashed drive in the 23rd minute as he latched onto Beattie's poor backpass and ran clear before finishing with aplomb.
Fulham continued to threaten and Zamora netted his second of the afternoon five minutes later.
The England international out-leaped Craig Cathcart in the six-yard box to nod in Duff's whipped free-kick, to the delight of the home faithful.
| Match Stats |
Fulham |
Blackpool |
| Goals |
3 |
0 |
 |
| Scorers |
Zamora 23 |
|
|
Zamora 28 |
|
|
Etuhu 72 |
|
|
| Possession |
46% |
54% |
| Goal attempts |
19 |
14 |
| On Target |
6 |
2 |
| Passing Success |
75.2% |
85.9% |
| Tackles |
24 |
23 |
| Tackles Success |
70.8% |
69.6% |
| Corners |
4 |
7 |
| Off-sides |
3 |
3 |
| Saves |
2 |
3 |
| Fouls |
16 |
6 |
| Yellows |
2 |
1 |
| Reds |
0 |
0 |
| source: Soccernet/SkySports |
However, the crowd's exuberance was tempered somewhat in the play that followed as the visitors began to get a foothold in the game and started to open up the Fulham defence.
After thwarting the visitors, Fulham's calls for a 38th-minute penalty were waved away by referee Stuart Attwell, who deemed Stephen Crainey's slide on Duff hard but fair.
The pace of the game began to drop as half-time approached, but Blackpool came desperately close to reducing the deficit just before the break.
Ormerod beat Mark Schwarzer to Baptiste's long ball, but his goal-bound header was cleared off the line by former Southampton team-mate Baird.
The game livened up in the 57th minute, with Dembele's neat touch and turn followed up by a 20-yard drive that Cathcart did well to block.
Beattie came close to atoning for his earlier error, but his powerful shot clattered off the post. The former England international was soon replaced as Holloway made wholesale changes in a bid to change the game.
Off came Beattie, Ormerod and Elliot Grandin to be replaced by Sergey Kornilenko, Varney and Puncheon. And Holloway's move almost paid immediate dividends as the latter found space to test Schwarzer with a powerful 20-yard drive.
However, Fulham soon wrapped up the victory with their third of the afternoon through Etuhu. Murphy's free-kick was thumped off the post by Clint Dempsey and the rebound was fired across goal by Brede Hangeland for Etuhu to net.
Having earlier taken off Zamora, the goal allowed manager Hughes to replace Murphy with Sidwell - making his first appearance since February.
Duff also soon departed to be replaced by Simon Davies, before Aaron Hughes and substitute Kornilenko clashed heads on the halfway line.
While the players received treatment, fans were treated to a Jackson tribute by a fan in the stands in what proved to be the last notable entertainment of the match.
Danny Murphy believes Fulham will need just one more win to ensure their survival in the Premier League after beating Blackpool 3-0 at Craven Cottage.
"One more win will probably do it,'' Murphy said on Sky Sports 1. "I can't see the teams at the bottom winning the three or four games they'd need to go past us, but you never know it's been a funny season. The win calms us all down bit for sure. There is still work to do, but we're fairly confident.''
Murphy's confidence looks well founded with Zamora, who made his first start since September following injury, proving his goal threat will be a major boost in the run-in.
"We've a fit squad now and we've got the 'big man' back,'' he added. "He proved his worth didn't he? He's clinical and he's crucial to the way we play. Sometimes this season we've had good possession but not had that cutting edge. We had a healthy lead at half-time today due to his two clinical finishes.''
Fulham manager Mark Hughes hailed the 3-0 victory over Blackpool as the perfect day for Bobby Zamora and an ideal platform for his side to secure a top 10 finish this season.
''Bobby had been under the weather, he just had a head cold and had not been sleeping particularly well,'' he said. ''He just wasn't quite as lively during the week as he normally is.
''Normally you hear Bobby before you seem him so he was a little bit quiet but I thought this was the perfect game for him, to be honest.
''I thought that he got over the last hurdle in his head after the injury in terms of starting games and really, in fairness, I couldn't have hoped for a better impact from him.
''Straight from the off he showed qualities that we have missed and lacked for many games this season. For him to come in - the way he is thinking about his game and coming back from a serious injury - it was a perfect day for him.''
The victory propels Fulham into the top half of the table, which Hughes said reinforced his view that the Londoners are a top-10 side.
''We've never wavered from that view and obviously tonight we're in that position,'' he added. ''We're something like three points from seventh. It's possible we can really establish ourselves from now until the end of the season in that top half.
''And that's what we anticipated we would do this season and obviously we lost key personnel, Bobby being the main one in that respect, and that hampered our season. But we've been really, really strong and accomplished in the second half of the season, which I knew we would be. The players are really progressing as a group. They are really receptive and really getting the job at the moment. And that's all you can ask.''
While Fulham's victory has ushered them away from relegation trouble, counterparts Blackpool continue to linger dangerously close to the precipice. Manager Ian Holloway has promised to ''crack the whip'' when his side get back to Lancashire and does not want his players` heads to drop again again during the vital the run-in.
''I've told them all to go away and watch how we got promoted last year and the goals we've scored this year and tell me we are a bad side,'' he said. ''I've asked them to do that because we need to remain totally positive.
''We can have probably five defeats and two victories and we'd still up, I believe. Whether I'm right or wrong, you asked me about it and 39 points might keep us up. If we do that it'll be a fantastic achievement, better than last year. And that's the truth because really, truthfully speaking, the quality that the other people have got, the money that they are paying is quite frightening.
''My lads' spirit has got us there. Their ability has helped us this year and after we made the odd mistake it looked like their body language was horrible today.
''It's not very nice when you reflect on the goals we have let in. You can have the ball and pass it around, but it is all about putting it in the white thing at one end and not letting it in the white thing at your end. Unfortunately we didn't do that very well today.''
Fulham Schwarzer, Baird, Hughes, Hangeland, Salcido,Duff (Davies 81), Etuhu, Murphy (Sidwell 77), Dempsey,Zamora (Johnson 62), Dembele.
Subs Not Used: Stockdale, Kelly, Gudjohnsen, Kakuta.
Booked: Murphy (65,f), Hangeland (90,f).
Goals:
Zamora 23, (right-footed into top-right of goal from centre of penalty area, 12 yards out.)
Zamora 28, (into top-left of goal from right side of six-yard box. Assist (cross) by Damien Duff from right wing.)
Etuhu 72 (right-footed into high centre of goal from right side of six-yard box. Assist (pass) by Brede Hangeland from right side of penalty area.)
Blackpool Kingson, Baptiste, Cathcart, Evatt, Crainey,Grandin (Puncheon 68), Adam, Vaughan, Ormerod (Varney 68),Beattie (Kornilenko 68), Taylor-Fletcher.
Subs Not Used: Rachubka, Southern, Eardley, Reid.
Booked: Adam.
Att: 25,692
Ref: Stuart Attwell (Warwickshire).