A bad week for Carlton Cole ended on a high note after the West Ham United forward scored a crucial goal to help his team to win in front of Fabio Capello, the England manager. Cole was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving last week, but he reminded Capello at Craven Cottage that he can become an understudy to Emile Heskey at international level.

“It hasn’t been the best of weeks but I will take my punishment,” Cole, who has been fined for breaking club rules, said. “I’ve learnt my lesson. I have apologised for being stupid. I am normal. I am not an alcoholic.”

Cole gave his team the lead against the run of play during a mad three minutes near the stroke of half-time. Fulham had been running the show, but Cole’s goal — a close-range strike after Mark Schwarzer had failed to deal with a low cross — changed the game. West Ham’s lead was increased two minutes later when Matthew Etherington beat Schwarzer with a cool chip after the Fulham goalkeeper had rushed off his line to intercept a through-ball. Fulham’s problems were compounded when Andrew Johnson was shown a second yellow, for fouling Lucas Neill, and sent off.

“Cole was fantastic,” Gianfranco Zola, the West Ham manager, said. “It was the perfect way to respond. Everybody knows that looking after themselves is vital to being a good footballer. I am going to be strict.”

Fulham tried to play their way out of trouble after the interval, but a penalty by Danny Murphy was all that they had to show for their efforts.

“The performance has given me a lot of heart, but it’s hard to be positive when you have lost,” Roy Hodgson, the Fulham manager, said. “It would be wrong of me to say I was upset or unhappy with the football we played. I am unhappy about the two goals we conceded. We have to accept that fate was unkind to us in this game. West Ham will not be saying this was a game they fully deserved to win.”

Fulham (4-4-2): M Schwarzer 5 — J Paintsil 6, A Hughes 6, B Hangeland 6, P Konchesky 6 — Z Gera 6, D Murphy 7, J Bullard 6, S Davies 6 — A Johnson 4, R Zamora 6. Substitutes not used: P Zuberbühler, Seol Ki Hyeon, E Nevland, C Dempsey, L Andreasen, T Kallio, C Baird. Booked: Johnson, Konchesky, Murphy, Hangeland. Sent off: Johnson. Next: West Bromwich Albion (a).

West Ham United (4-3-3): R Green 7 — J Faubert 6, L Neill 6, M Upson 6, H Ilunga 7 — V Behrami 6, S Parker 7 (sub: L Boa Morte, 90min), M Noble 7 — M Etherington 7 (sub: H Mullins, 80), C Cole 7, D Di Michele (sub: C Bellamy, 74). Substitutes not used: J Lastuvka, W López, C Davenport, F Sears. Booked: Parker. Next: Bolton Wanderers (h).