Danny Murphy struck from the spot as Fulham edged a pulsating contest 2-1 and halted Newcastle's surge up the 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.

A floated cross by Jimmy Bullard was met by Cacapa but his headed clearance struck team-mate Coloccini and fell into the path of Johnson, who buried the chance.

The Cottagers attacked at will in the first half and their dominance deserved a greater return with 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.

Damien Duff's cross was deflected by Johnson into the centre of the area but an unfortunate bounce saw the ball elude right-back John Pantsil.

Instead, it slipped behind him and Ameobi was the first to react by drilling home from three metres out.

Against the run of play Roy Hodgson's team restored their lead when Murphy struck from the spot in the 66th minute.

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.