Fulham 2-0 Wimbledon:

With season tickets in the Riverside Stand costing £3,192, Fulham’s fans have come to expect a certain level of comfort with their scallops and risotto.

But for nearly a full half here, the Cottagers were left groaning at the hospitality on show - until the Wimbledon dam burst to lighten the mood for Alvaro Arbeloa.

The Spaniard can sleep easily after securing his first competitive win on the back of a long summer where his suitability to replace Marco Silva has been relentlessly questioned.

It was not marquee opposition - Wimbledon are tipped to struggle in League One - but Arbeloa will be pleased that his second string had enough persistence to overcome a stubborn rearguard action against their noisy neighbours.

For a while, it felt as if Fulham would be left frustrated. You know things are getting desperate when, as the relative giants, your fans start encouraging defenders to shoot from the back end of nowhere.

Whatever the attack, Wimbledon had an answer; Andy Yiadom or Dan Sweeney would somehow materialise to defuse whatever Kevin or Rodrigo Muniz were plotting.

All empires crumble eventually, though, and the breakthrough came with a tactile sense of relief when Emile Smith Rowe finally turned in a scruffy header after a 37-minute toil which had felt like two hours.

Muniz then doubled the lead with another header minutes before half-time to make the rest of the night feel rather academic.

The second half largely mirrored how the first had gone, with Fulham pushing but often being thwarted. Smith Rowe, who could have had a hat-trick, crashed a half-volley over the bar as Fulham pressed for a third. 

Gonzalo Garcia finally gave those who had stayed until the end a final hurrah, as he came off the bench and rounded goalkeeper Nathan Bishop to score his second Fulham goal since joining for £34m from Real Madrid.  

Wimbledon had their chances - Callum Maycock missed by molecules with one flicked effort, while Myles Hippolyte went for the spectacular from range - and the packed away end stayed boisterous throughout despite losing this first derby against Fulham since the club’s rebirth.

Fulham's busy week continues with a trip to Sunderland on Sunday, a match which could be very consequential come the end of the season, and they have booked a visit to West Ham in the third round of the Carabao Cup. 

'The players did a good job with energy and effort,' said Arbeloa. 'We moved the ball really well, tried to attack, score goals. We controlled Wimbledon’s counter-attacks. I’m happy with the performance and attitude. 

'Of course we have a lot of things to work on but it’s a long journey. I saw a team with clear ideas.'  

Arbeloa knows sterner tasks lie ahead, but the man inspired by the Spartan army will bite your hand off for any battling victory in these early days.