Ivan Toney netted another penalty as brilliant Brentford enjoyed local bragging rights in this west London derby - and kept on course for the wider fields of European football next season.
Manor Solomon scored in his fifth consecutive game for Fulham to equalise before the break and Carlos Vinicius found the net in second-half injury-time. But goals from Ethan Pinnock, Toney and Mathias Jensen saw the Bees close within a point of the Cottagers and extend their unbeaten Premier League run to 12 matches since October.
Carry on with this form and the club which had not played in the top flight for 74 years before last season can qualify for Europe. Toney, who faces a Football Association ban for betting offences, showed he is still a dead cert from 12 yards as he converted his 22nd consecutive spot kick for Brentford, including 10 in the Premier League.
He also hit the woodwork with a free kick and nearly scored from the halfway line with a David Beckham-style shot which landed on the roof of the Fulham net. But the £5million signing from Peterborough has now scored 15 Premier League goals this season - more than Marcus Rashford - and only Erling Haaland and Harry Kane have scored more.
A sixth away win of the season would have lifted Fulham above Newcastle into sixth place, but Marco Silva’s seven-match unbeaten run came to an end in the cold and rain. His side missed the steadying influence of the suspended Joao Palhinha.
The busy Bees had already registered three goal attempts before taking the lead in the sixth minute. Toney and Bryan Mbeumo forced Jan Lenon into early saves while the Cameroon striker sliced over from four yards from a fine Rico Henry cross.
The opening goal inevitably came when Pinnock’s shot from just inside the box deflected off Tim Ream and past the helpless Leno. When Mbeumo clipped the post with a free kick, it was Brentford’s sixth shot in the frenetic opening 17 minutes.
Referee Anthony Taylor had words with Marco Silva before booking Willian for diving in a torrid start for the visitors. It could have got worse when Sasa Lukic was cautioned for a foul on the edge of the box, but Ivan Toney’s 35th-minute free kick struck the corner of the post and bar. Four minutes later, Fulham were level.
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This time Mikkel Damsgaard conceded a free kick on the edge of the Brentford box and Andreas Pereira’s free kick hit the post and rebounded for Solomon to head home. He is the first ever Israeli player to score in four consecutive Premier League appearances.
The striker on loan from Shakhtar Donetsk also netted in the FA Cup last week against Leeds. Brentford came out quick again at the start of the second half - and Taylor awarded the hosts a 50th-minute penalty when Issa Diop caught Christian Norgaard in the box following a long throw from Mathias Jensen.
Wissa feigned to take the kick before Toney stepped up and converted. He has scored 27 of his 28 career efforts, only missing in Peterborough's 4-0 League One defeat by Barnsley in 2018, when Adam Davies saved his kick.
Substitute Kevin Schade set up Jensen to score the third through the legs of Leno after 85 minutes. Fellow sub Vinicius pulled one back in injury time after David Raya could not hold a long-range shot from Pereira.
