Fulham 2 Newcastle United 1: Danny Murphy struck from the spot as Fulham edged a lively contest to halt Newcastle's surge up the Premier League table.

Murphy converted a 66th-minute penalty after Fabricio Coloccini had clipped Andy Johnson while the England marksman was sprinting into the area.

Johnson had given Fulham a deserved interval lead when he capitalised on a defensive blunder by Claudio Cacapa to claim his third goal since his arrival in the summer.

The Cottagers attacked at will in the first half and their dominance deserved a greater return with Jimmy Bullard and Zoltan Gera failing to bury good chances.

But Newcastle emerged fired up after the break and their 57th-minute equaliser by Shola Ameobi, which had a hint of offside about it, was fitting reward for their revival.

Murphy's goal set up a thrilling finale but Fulham hung on to protect their impressive home form, which now reads 13 points out of a possible 18.