Half time: United 0 Fulham 0

86mins Two of Newcastle's substitutes combined down the left flank; Yohan Cabaye picking up possession in his own half when the ball ran away from Steve Sidwell and advancing before pushing it forward to Loic Remy. 

The debutant found himself with space to work in as defender Aaron Hughes dropped deeper and after initially heading towards the corner flag pursued by Matthew Briggs, Remy turned back anti- clockwise and away from the lurking Scott Parker.

Remy's right-footed crossfield ball was chested down by Hatem Ben Arfa a yard outside the angle of the Fulham box and United's number 10 then pushed infield on his left foot to work himself a sight of goal as John Arne Riise and Alex Kacaniklic marked space rather than opponent. 

That proved to be fatal as Hatem took an extra touch before swinging his left boot with the ball right on the edge of the box heading towards the "D" and his looping shot whistled beyond the right ear of motionless Cottagers 'keeper David Stockdale. 1-0

Full time: United 1 Fulham 0

Alan Pardew said:

On Yohan Cabaye and whether his appearance in this game meant that the player would remain a Magpie:

"It doesn't because the window is open until 11pm (on Monday) and all our players are vulnerable.

"It's a worry. We've marked his agent's card that he needs to do his business early. If there is a bid to come then let us know.

"We've had no other bids yet otherwise we won't be able to replace him and we won't sell then.

"I thought the fans got it right - it was a mixed reaction. Some were saying to him Newcastle comes first, and others were just glad to see him because he is a great player, and I think that's about right.

"You can't predict when you are going to score but what you can predict is your performance and in the second half we were terrific.

"It was a frustrating day for Hatem (Ben Arfa) - he did some really poor things, poor decision making and then he then he comes up with the goal and that's the maverick he is - you have to take the rough with the smooth with him.

"We would like to bring one key player in who is going to threaten the first team and maybe we have to watch the Cabaye situation, that would be someone we have to replace for sure.

"It was a question of a little more tempo and pressure on the ball as Fulham can be clever, with Berbatov dropping into midfield.

"So we put more pressure on the game and introduced more attacking options and that got us over the line and I am just delighted for our fans as this is a massive club. Trust me, we are in good order."

Disgruntled Fulham boss Martin Jol: 

"I don’t think it was a tough afternoon. I think we could have done a lot of damage today and got some points on the board. In the first half we looked good in midfield, we played in a different style but the only thing we could be critical of was the lack of a cutting edge. 

"We had three or four situations in front of goal where we mis-controlled it through Darren Bent and Alexander Kacaniklic - we could have punished them.

"We looked a bit tired in the second half and that put all the pressure on. Last year was the same, they scored one goal and were over the moon as if they played great, but they didn’t. We deserved at least a point.

"I was pleased with my defenders and the midfielders. Bent was always playing off the shoulder. We could have done better and created more.

"We doubled up on him (Hatem Ben Arfa) first half and he couldn’t get his shots in. We should have blocked his shot, we had two players there."

As a result, the crowd dozed in the late summer sunshine and it took until the hour mark for a pair of goalbound shots to inject a semblance of an atmosphere; Cisse and Yanga-Mbiwa both denied by defensive blocks. 

Then came the introduction of substitutes Cabaye and Gouffran - the former arriving to a mixture of applause and boos after his recent decision to down tools.

A welcome sense of urgency could then be discerned with debutant Remy added to the mix: afforded an unreserved welcome, with all thoughts of his toon rejection back in January and off-field misadventures put to one side.  

The on-loan QPR player looked both eager and lively and his energy certainly bucked up crowd and team. Cisse headed against the crossbar before substitute Yoan Gouffran contrived to miss from roughly the same point blank range as his effort against West Ham. 

Following the departure of the unimpressive Darren Bent amid hoots of derision, Mathieu Debuchy headed Hatem's corner wide when unmarked before a rare Fulham foray saw Tim Krul stretch out a leg to deny Adel Taarabt.

Then came Ben Arfa's face-saving strike and a fingertip stop from Stockdale to deny Gouffran, before the visiting 'keeper spilled an effort from Cabaye and then blocked Cisse's follow-up.

As was the case after Wednesday's League Cup win at Morecambe, the over-riding emotion here was one of relief at having scraped a win that slackens the pressure on us slightly and delays the next set of negative headlines. The occasional positive scoreline seems to be the only thing we've celebrated in 2013, with accompanying performances of note remaining a scarce commodity.

For much of the afternoon, Gallowgate was a depressing place to be, with home fans as becalmed as their club: a support seemingly beaten into submission as United revert to their default position of continual disappointment.

The list of gripes remains a lengthy one, with the return of Cabaye meaning for another "clap/boo day" to divide supporters and give reporters something to file on, much like our controversial shirt sponsor.  The greater decision as to whether to actually attend any more is one that more than a few have taken, but enough fans still roll up to be eulogised, patronised and ultimately exploited. The fanbase of a great club, saddled the task of supporting one that remains an embarrassment.  

Many neither support nor critice, just attend to witness what unfolds. Fearing the worst, based on a lifetime of watching this lot endlessly repeat their mistakes. With such low expectations, any flirtation with mediocrity is embarrassingly greeted like the dawning of a new era.

Anyone searching for evidence that nothing has changed round here need look no further than the pair of 1-0 home wins over Fulham five months apart: seconds of pleasure at the end of a grim and instantly forgettable struggle, with the manager celebrating each time as if having just received news of his relocation from death row. 

The main solace today was in beating a side whose insipid display was a reminder that beyond the top clubs lies a raft of thoroughly average ones, with bone idle strikers like Berbatov and Bent, the latter no better than Shola.

Amassing enough points to finish above the bottom three shouldn't be an issue, but to settle for that as the limit of our ambitions is unacceptable. Both the manager and Director of F***all may have gone on to record to state loftier intentions for this season, but the evidence of our transfer dealing would tend to suggest otherwise. 

Actions speak louder than words.  

Biffa