By Alistair Magowan BBC Sport

Pavel Pogrebnyak's hat-trick earned Fulham a third consecutive win as they consigned new Wolves boss Terry Connor to a crushing first defeat.

The Russian striker headed in Damien Duff's corner after 36 minutes before sweeping in Andy Johnson's low cross before the break.

Clint Dempsey rounded Wolves keeper Wayne Hennessey before Pogrebnyak grabbed his third after Johnson's shot.

And Dempsey added a second to complete the humiliation for the visitors.

Johnson could have added to Connor's misery when he hit the bar, but the manner in which Wolves seemed to capitulate will give the new manager real concern in only his second game in charge.

Jol reflects on 'almost perfect' win

Fulham's victory was the first time they have won three successive games since 2008 when they avoided relegation, but now they sit eighth in the Premier League.

And they were on top from the start against a Wolves side who shipped five goals for the second time in three games to slip into the bottom three in place of Blackburn.

Coincidently, it is Blackburn who Wolves face at Molineux next Saturday, but there were worrying reminders of the 5-1 defeat by West Bromwich Albion which led to the sacking of Connor's predecessor Mick McCarthy.

Pogrebnyak, 28, has now scored five goals in his three games since signing from Stuttgart at the end of January and his 'classic hat-trick' of header, right-foot and left-foot goals marked a superb return for someone so new to the Premier League.

His link-up play with Johnson and Dempsey, who took his tally for the season to 18, was encouraging for the season ahead but they came up against a defence which put them under little pressure once they attacked the visitors' goal.

WHO IS POGREBNYAK?

  • Born Russia, Nov 8 1983
  • Previous clubs include Stuttgart, Zenit St Petersburg and Spartak Moscow
  • Signed for Fulham from Stuttgart on 31 Jan 2012
  • Has scored five goals in first three Fulham games

It was the second time that Connor had found his team two goals down at the break but, whereas they battled back to draw 2-2 at Newcastle last weekend, at Craven Cottage things just went from bad to worse.

John Arne Riise was a whisker away from giving Fulham the lead on two occasions before Pogrebnyak's first goal, and Wolves were not helped by an injury to Karl Henry midway through the first period.

Kevin Doyle, who has scored twice in his last three games, headed wide but Fulham's new striker stooped to head in Duff's corner to put the hosts in charge.

There was a question mark on whether Richard Stearman had actually touched Moussa Dembele's shot which led to the corner, but there was no quibble about the second goal just before the break when Kevin Foley was guilty of giving the ball away in his own half.

Dempsey worked the ball out to Johnson on the right, and his cross was met confidently by Pogrebnyak, who tucked it in.

Any hopes of a Wolves riposte looked over when a simple Danny Murphy pass sliced open the defence and Dempsey ran onto it, rounding Hennessey to score.

Stephen Fletcher, who started on the bench after missing the Newcastle game through illness, came on to try to galvanise the team.

Wolves must bounce back - Connor

However, his first action was to watch Pogrebnyak score his third goal when he followed up Johnson's saved shot. And, when Dempsey finished a flowing passing move, it shone a bright light on the size of the task now facing Wolves and Connor as they aim to avoid the drop.

New Fulham signing Mahamadou Diarra came on to set up Dempsey's second goal and must have been puzzled by how easy it was in his introduction to England's top flight.

Fulham boss Martin Jol on Pogrebnyak: "It's always nice to see players coming to England and coping with these stories about adjusting to England but right from the first training session he has looked strong and fit. You need players who will give him the assists and then, as you can see, he scores with his right foot, his left foot and with his head.

"He helps the other strikers as well. We have Andy Johnson, who is always involved, and Clint Dempsey, who equalled his best goal tally for the season, but now we have Pavel so it is very pleasing."

Wolves boss Terry Connor: "I knew before we are going to have good days and bad days, last week was good against Newcastle, today was the other side but we have to deal with it the same and move on to the Blackburn game next Saturday."

Lineup, Bookings (3) & Substitutions (6)

Fulham

  • 01 Schwarzer
  • 03 JA Riise
  • 05 Hangeland Booked
  • 14 Senderos
  • 18 Hughes
  • 13 Murphy (Diarra - 69' )
  • 16 Duff (Davies - 80' )
  • 23 Dempsey
  • 07 Pogrebniak (Frei - 85' )
  • 08 Johnson
  • 30 Dembele

Substitutes

  • 12 Stockdale
  • 32 Halliche
  • 19 Diarra
  • 20 Etuhu
  • 21 Frei
  • 29 Davies
  • 09 Sa

Wolverhampton Wanderers

  • 01 Hennessey
  • 05 Stearman
  • 11 Ward
  • 16 Berra Booked
  • 23 Zubar Booked
  • 32 Foley (Hunt - 84' )
  • 07 Kightly (Fletcher - 61' )
  • 08 Henry (Milijas - 19' )
  • 17 Jarvis
  • 24 O'Hara
  • 29 Doyle

Substitutes

  • 31 De Vries
  • 14 Johnson
  • 21 Bassong
  • 12 Hunt
  • 20 Milijas
  • 22 Jonsson
  • 10 Fletcher
Ref: Jones
Att: 24,034

Match Stats

Shots

25 8

On target

19 3

Corners

7 7

Fouls

7 9

Live Text Commentary

90:00 +3:04 Full time

Full Time The referee ends the match.

90:00 +1:51

Jamie O'Hara takes a shot. Save by Mark Schwarzer.

90:00 +0:24

Kerim Frei takes a shot. Save made by Wayne Hennessey.

89:26

The ball is delivered by Steven Fletcher, save made by Mark Schwarzer.

89:09

Stephen Hunt delivers the ball.

88:51

Inswinging corner taken left-footed by Stephen Hunt played to the near post, Simon Davies manages to make a clearance.

88:40

Centre by Jamie O'Hara.

87:43

Simon Davies delivers the ball, Wayne Hennessey makes a save.

84:59 Substitution

Substitution Kerim Frei on for Pavel Pogrebnyak.

82:41 Substitution

Substitution Kevin Foley leaves the field to be replaced by Stephen Hunt.

82:41

Assist by Mahamadou Diarra.

82:41 Goal scored

Goal - Clint Dempsey - Fulham 5 - 0 Wolves Clint Dempsey finds the back of the net with a goal from inside the area to the top left corner of the goal. Fulham 5-0 Wolverhampton.

79:11 Substitution

Substitution Simon Davies replaces Damien Duff.

78:12

Damien Duff produces a left-footed shot from the edge of the area and misses to the left of the goal.

77:28

Clint Dempsey takes a shot. Ronald Zubar gets a block in.

75:23

Moussa Dembele challenges Nenad Milijas unfairly and gives away a free kick. Free kick crossed left-footed by Nenad Milijas from left wing.

74:48

Pavel Pogrebnyak crosses the ball, Moussa Dembele takes a shot. Save by Wayne Hennessey.

73:19

The official flags Pavel Pogrebnyak offside. Free kick taken by Wayne Hennessey.

72:53

Free kick taken by Damien Duff.

72:53 Booking

Booking Christophe Berra goes into the book.

72:48

Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Andrew Johnson by Christophe Berra.

72:37

Matthew Jarvis delivers the ball, Philippe Senderos manages to make a clearance.

72:03

The ball is swung over by John Arne Riise, Clint Dempsey takes a shot. Richard Stearman gets a block in.

71:04

Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Pavel Pogrebnyak by Christophe Berra. Direct free kick taken by Mahamadou Diarra.

70:32

Steven Fletcher has an effort at goal from deep inside the area missing to the left of the target.

69:31

Corner from the right by-line taken by Damien Duff, Headed effort from inside the penalty area by Clint Dempsey misses to the right of the target.

69:17

Damien Duff takes a shot. Christophe Berra gets a block in.

67:40 Substitution

Substitution Mahamadou Diarra replaces Danny Murphy.

67:40

Shot by Andrew Johnson.

67:26

Ronald Zubar produces a cross.

65:57

Centre by Nenad Milijas, save by Mark Schwarzer.

65:07

Jamie O'Hara takes a shot. Philippe Senderos gets a block in. Nenad Milijas takes a inswinging corner from the right by-line played to the near post, clearance made by Damien Duff.

64:41

Foul by Pavel Pogrebnyak on Ronald Zubar, free kick awarded. Ronald Zubar takes the direct free kick.

63:23

Centre by Kevin Foley, Danny Murphy makes a clearance. Corner taken left-footed by Jamie O'Hara from the right by-line, save by Mark Schwarzer.

62:28

Corner taken by Matthew Jarvis, Aaron Hughes manages to make a clearance.

62:11

Matthew Jarvis decides to take a short corner.

62:02

The ball is sent over by Stephen Ward, Danny Murphy manages to make a clearance.

60:46

The assist for the goal came from Andrew Johnson.

60:46 Goal scored

Goal - Pavel Pogrebnyak - Fulham 4 - 0 Wolves Pavel Pogrebnyak grabs a goal from close in to the bottom right corner of the goal. Fulham 4-0 Wolverhampton.

60:44

Andrew Johnson takes a shot. Save by Wayne Hennessey.

59:56 Substitution

Substitution Steven Fletcher is brought on as a substitute for Michael Kightly.

59:56

Nenad Milijas has an effort at goal from outside the penalty box which goes wide right of the target.

57:36

Matthew Jarvis sends in a cross, clearance by Brede Hangeland.

55:23

Assist on the goal came from Danny Murphy.

55:23 Goal scored

Goal - Clint Dempsey - Fulham 3 - 0 Wolves Clint Dempsey gets on the score sheet with a goal from inside the box to the bottom right corner of the goal. Fulham 3-0 Wolverhampton.

54:54

Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Pavel Pogrebnyak by Christophe Berra. Moussa Dembele restarts play with the free kick.

53:51

Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Moussa Dembele by Nenad Milijas. Direct free kick taken by Danny Murphy.

52:48

Effort from outside the area by Kevin Doyle goes wide right of the goal.

52:10

The ball is sent over by Nenad Milijas.

51:26

Clint Dempsey takes a shot. Save made by Wayne Hennessey.

48:05

The ball is swung over by Stephen Ward.

47:40

Centre by Aaron Hughes, save made by Wayne Hennessey. The ball is delivered by Andrew Johnson.

46:46

Foul by Kevin Foley on Pavel Pogrebnyak, free kick awarded. Danny Murphy restarts play with the free kick.

46:14

The offside flag is raised against Kevin Doyle. Free kick taken by Brede Hangeland.

45:22

Philippe Senderos concedes a free kick for a foul on Kevin Doyle. Free kick crossed by Jamie O'Hara, save by Mark Schwarzer.

45:01

The game restarts for the second half.

45:00 +2:05 Half time

Half Time The ref blows to signal half-time.

45:00 +0:34

Damien Duff produces a cross, Richard Stearman makes a clearance.

45:00 +0:18

The ball is swung over by Jamie O'Hara, save made by Mark Schwarzer.

43:23

The assist for the goal came from Andrew Johnson.

43:23 Goal scored

Goal - Pavel Pogrebnyak - Fulham 2 - 0 Wolves Pavel Pogrebnyak finds the net with a goal from inside the penalty box to the top right corner of the goal. Fulham 2-0 Wolverhampton.

40:31

Matthew Jarvis delivers the ball, clearance by Philippe Senderos.

39:52

The ball is swung over by Damien Duff, clearance made by Stephen Ward.

39:02

Inswinging corner taken left-footed by Jamie O'Hara from the right by-line, clearance by Moussa Dembele.

38:36

Michael Kightly crosses the ball, Damien Duff makes a clearance.

34:56

Moussa Dembele takes a shot. Blocked by Richard Stearman.

36:28

Christophe Berra gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Pavel Pogrebnyak. Danny Murphy restarts play with the free kick.

35:30

The assist for the goal came from Damien Duff.

35:30 Goal scored

Goal - Pavel Pogrebnyak - Fulham 1 - 0 Wolves Pavel Pogrebnyak scores a headed goal from inside the six-yard box. Fulham 1-0 Wolverhampton.

35:26

Corner taken by Damien Duff from the right by-line,

34:56

Moussa Dembele takes a shot. Richard Stearman gets a block in.

32:50

The ball is delivered by Aaron Hughes.

29:46

The ball is crossed by Damien Duff, clearance by Christophe Berra.

28:49

Shot by Jamie O'Hara from outside the box goes high over the target.

28:32

Andrew Johnson sends in a cross, Stephen Ward makes a clearance.

26:13

A cross is delivered by Damien Duff, Richard Stearman manages to make a clearance.

25:02

Inswinging corner taken right-footed by Matthew Jarvis from the left by-line to the near post, Christophe Berra takes a shot. Blocked by John Arne Riise.

25:42

The referee blows for offside against Kevin Doyle. Mark Schwarzer takes the free kick.

25:02

Matthew Jarvis takes a inswinging corner from the left by-line to the near post, Richard Stearman takes a shot. Blocked by Brede Hangeland.

24:46

Matthew Jarvis delivers the ball, John Arne Riise makes a clearance.

23:38

Danny Murphy takes a short corner. The ball is swung over by Danny Murphy, Richard Stearman manages to make a clearance. Effort from the edge of the area by Philippe Senderos goes wide of the right-hand post.

23:18

The ball is delivered by John Arne Riise, Andrew Johnson takes a shot. Wayne Hennessey makes a save.

21:28

Jamie O'Hara crosses the ball from the free kick left-footed from right wing, free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Aaron Hughes by Christophe Berra. Free kick taken by Mark Schwarzer.

21:28 Booking

Booking The referee books Brede Hangeland for unsporting behaviour.

21:23

Foul by Brede Hangeland on Jamie O'Hara, free kick awarded.

19:31

Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Kevin Doyle by Philippe Senderos. The ball is crossed by Jamie O'Hara, Headed effort from deep inside the penalty area by Richard Stearman misses to the left of the goal.

17:42 Substitution

Substitution Nenad Milijas joins the action as a substitute, replacing Karl Henry.

17:42

John Arne Riise has an effort at goal from deep inside the area missing to the left of the target.

15:54

Damien Duff has a shot on goal from outside the box which misses right.

15:34

The ball is sent over by Andrew Johnson.

14:40

Kevin Doyle fouled by Andrew Johnson, the ref awards a free kick. Free kick taken by Matthew Jarvis.

14:22

The ball is swung over by Michael Kightly, Mark Schwarzer makes a save.

13:52

Aaron Hughes crosses the ball, save made by Wayne Hennessey.

13:15

Inswinging corner taken from the left by-line by Danny Murphy.

13:05

John Arne Riise takes a shot. Ronald Zubar gets a block in.

12:23

Clint Dempsey gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Stephen Ward. Direct free kick taken by Wayne Hennessey.

11:40

Corner from left by-line crossed in by Danny Murphy, clearance made by Stephen Ward.

11:24

John Arne Riise takes a shot. Save made by Wayne Hennessey.

11:02

Danny Murphy decides to take a short corner.

8:54

Pavel Pogrebnyak is flagged offside by the assistant referee. Karl Henry takes the free kick.

8:25

Clint Dempsey takes a shot. Wayne Hennessey makes a save.

7:49

Moussa Dembele takes a shot. Blocked by Jamie O'Hara.

7:41

John Arne Riise takes a shot.

6:26

Danny Murphy takes the direct free kick.

6:26 Booking

Booking Ronald Zubar is shown a yellow card for unsporting behaviour.

6:09

Ronald Zubar gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Clint Dempsey.

5:34

Free kick awarded for a foul by Karl Henry on Moussa Dembele. Philippe Senderos takes the direct free kick.

4:38

The referee blows for offside. Indirect free kick taken by Wayne Hennessey.

1:34

Damien Duff takes a inswinging corner from the right by-line played to the near post, clearance made by Kevin Doyle.

0:13

The offside flag is raised against Pavel Pogrebnyak. Wayne Hennessey restarts play with the free kick.

0:00

The game gets underway.

Live text and data provided by The Press Association