THESE two sides finished last season convincingly, although in different circumstances. Fulham’s late run of form saved them from relegation, while Celtic assembled seven consecutive victories to bustle past Rangers and take the third consecutive title of Gordon Strachan’s impressive tenure.

It was Roy Hodgson’s side who maintained that momentum here with a clear and deserved victory, in which Bobby Zamora, the striker signed from West Ham last week, looked the pick of his seven summer signings so far.

The influx shows Hodgson has not allowed the exhilarating conclusion to Fulham’s campaign to cloud his mind when it comes to avoiding a similar scrape next season. Zamora was accompanied from east London by John Pantsil, the Ghanian defender, and both started here along with fellow newcomers David Stockdale, in goal, Andranik Teymourian and Zoltan Gera.

Hodgson hasn’t finished yet either. He hopes a deal for Frederik Stoor, the Swedish full-back is “imminent” and added: “We are still looking for another front player, are flirting with the idea of a central defensive midfielder and we may need some cover still at centre-back because we are fairly light in that area.”

Strachan has been less busy, with only the surprise signing of Pat McCourt from Derry City and the conversion of Georgios Samaras’ loan from Manchester City into a permanent deal so far.

Negotiations continue, however, with Gabriel Tamas, Auxerre’s Romanian international defender, and reports from France yesterday claimed Celtic’s delegation also paid a visit to Bordeaux in an attempt to strike a deal for Fernando Cavenaghi, their Argentine international striker.

While that remains conjecture for Celtic, Fulham look to have found a formidable focus for their passing game in Zamora. He and his new team swiftly found their feet in a flowing counter-attack which brought the first goal after 97 seconds. Andreas Hinkel lost possession after attacking on the right and was thus still out of position when Erik Nevland swept the ball home after Jimmy Bullard and Zamora combined to find him at the back post.

Stockdale, the former Darlington goalkeeper, had to beat away a typically-powerful drive from Barry Robson’s left foot, while, at the other end, Simon Davies almost connected with Zamora’s clever dink into Celtic’s box.

The big striker then scored his first goal for his new club, a hammered left-foot on the bounce after Nevland hooked the ball across Celtic’s box from the left. The first signs, perhaps, of a partnership developing between them, although Fulham are not short of front men.

After another well-constructed move from the home side, Davies was only denied by Mark Brown’s block in the six-yard box or it would have been 3-0 by half-time.

Instead, Celtic pulled a goal back that they did not deserve on the evidence of this disjointed display. Robson drove purposefully through the middle and then deceived Brede Hangelund with a stepover to win the free kick which he then curled expertly home.

Zamora and Bullard departed the game at half-time and much of Fulham’s impetus and craft went with them. It was Celtic, now, who started to push for an equaliser, although without their pressure yielding clear-cut chances as it lacked both conviction and guile.

Fulham sealed their victory with four minutes left when Leon Andreasen sweetly volleyed home Danny Murphy’s corner.

Scott Brown then smacked the junction of bar and post with a shot but if it had gone in it would merely have been a spectacular consolation for Celtic.