Pavel, a hat-trick hero worth Craven

Fulham fans have two Russians to thank for their current west London dominance after a thoroughly enjoyable day at Craven Cottage that started with the sacking of their rival’s manager and ended with a 5-0 win over Wolves.

After victory over west London rivals Queens Park Rangers last week, courtesy of Russian export Pavel Pogrebnyak’s single goal, the Fulham faithful might have felt entitled to hold their heads slightly higher around town. That air of post-code superiority was boosted on Sunday morning when the news, that Chelsea and Russian owner Roman Abramovich had sacked their manager, Andre Villas-Boas, finally made it the two-and-a-half mile trip down the King’s Road from Stamford Bridge to Craven Cottage.

And what better way to heap extra misery on their two arch enemies and stake their claim to be the neighbourhood’s most upwardly-mobile club then to put on a footballing masterclass against Wolves. Pogrebnyak’s hat-trick, taking him to five in three games, makes him about the only Russian more ruthless than Abramovich and was complimented by a Clint Dempsey double.