For Mohamed Al Fayed, this must have been close to the perfect day. Vindication in court in the afternoon, victory for the Fulham team he owns in the evening. At this rate he will wake up this morning to find a British passport lying on his front doormat.
This was not a sparkling Fulham performance, nor an altogether easy night. But three goals in quick succession, two from Barry Hayles and the third from Steve Hayward, killed off Luton Town as the Second Division side were finding their stride. Wimbledon at home await in the fourth round.
Despite managing a 2-2 draw at Craven Cottage in the first leg Luton's tiring young side can hardly have considered themselves favourites. But Paul Bracewell, four-times a loser in FA Cup finals, must have been very wary. Either side of his Fulham team's Worthington Cup win over Tottenham Hotspur, his team have struggled against lesser lights.
They arrived here on the back of two goalless draws but last night's opening spell offered no shortage of scoring opportunities. Shortly after Liam George had half-volleyed over for Luton, Barry Hayles might have given Fulham the lead but he scuffed his left-foot shot in embarrassing style.
That sparked a period of concerted Fulham pressure. Steve Hayward's free-kick picked out Simon Morgan, but the captain's header failed to trouble the Luton goalkeeper Nathan Abbey.
Fulham's frustration grew when Geoff Horsfield ended an enterprising run by shooting wide. When Luton did find momentum their crosses posed little threat and they found chances hard to come. They will be disappointed as they had looked capable of better things for nearly an hour.
But neither side looked too impressive in attack until Fulham burst into life in the second half when they went up a gear, scoring three goals in 10 minutes to put the result the reach of Luton.
The first came from their best move of the match, Hayward sweeping the ball wide to Clark, who crossed to Hayles to sidefoot in.
That Clark-Hayles combination was repeated shortly after, enabling the striker to surge outside Marvin Johnson and finish neatly. And when Hayward scored with a low free-kick from outside the area, the celebrations in the Al Fayed household could go on.
Luton: Abbey, Doherty, Watts, Johnson, Fraser (Boyce 59), Locke, Spring, McLaren, Taylor, Douglas, George. Subs Not Used: Scarlett, Kandol, Ayres, Tate.
Fulham: Taylor, Finnan, Melville (Trollope 78), Morgan, Symons, Brevett, Clark, Collins, Hayward, Horsfield, Hayles. Subs Not Used: Uhlenbeek, Peschisolido, Selley, Hahnemann. Booked: Hayles. Goals: Hayles 57, 60, Hayward 63.
Referee: G Frankland (Middlesbrough).
