Raul Jimenez scored twice to inflict Sunderland's second consecutive home defeat as Fulham ran out deserved 3-1 victors.
Regis Le Bris' side had been on a defiant 12-game unbeaten run at the Stadium of Light until Liverpool visited a fortnight ago and have now succumbed to a second home loss in as many outings, punished for a series of uncharacteristic mistakes.
Jimenez was the beneficiary for Fulham, nodding Alex Iwobi's corner beyond Robin Roefs, completely unmarked, before then rolling in a calm penalty - won by Calvin Bassey and awarded after VAR review - seven minutes after the opener. Both scenarios were entirely avoidable.
Those two goals looked set to earn Fulham all three points before a clumsy Ryan Sessegnon challenge gifted Enzo Le Fee a chance to convert from the spot, and he did so emphatically. The reprieve offered only a flicker of hope, though, as Iwobi scored Fulham's third on the counter not long after.
The breakaway was engineered by the in-form Harry Wilson and finished wonderfully by Iwobi from a tight angle, only the third time in his Premier League career that he has both scored and assisted in the same game.
Fulham end a run of three straight defeats to rise to tenth, displacing Newcastle in the Premier League's top half, while Sunderland are a comfortable twelfth, surely already assured of their place in the top flight for next season.
Fulham boss Marco Silva:
"A big win. We knew it was going to be another crucial game for us. It's very important because we came from some not good results. We wanted to bounce back.
"It's been difficult for all teams to play against Sunderland, it's no coincidence they were the only team unbeaten [at home] before they play Liverpool. They make life so difficult for the opposition side, with the extra player from the stands.
"We had to keep the aggression. In the second half we were clinical, we prepare for these moments. The game was more settled after that. We handled the pressure very well, the stadium is buzzing after they score and then we score the third goal in an incredible moment. Top finishing from Alex [Iwobi]. A big fight.
"We want to be in a different position. A big three points."
Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris:
"In the Premier League, it is not unusual [to suffer a dip]. For us and every other team in the league. You can be in the top six and have a long sequence of poor results; we are now in this part of the journey.
"Resilience, togetherness, consistency and standards - it is always the same values we need. It is a bit harder but the journey is always defined by key moments.
"We will try to find a way to change the situation. The intention of the lads was positive but we struggled to find the right way to express it."
