In his programme notes, Mark Hughes spoke of recent Fulham wins helping to provide "a good platform to build on". Rather than construct, his players demolished. Six swings of the wrecking ball reduced their League One opponents to rubble.
Victory for the hosts should have been even more emphatic, but it was Peterborough who came roaring out of the traps. They won five corners in the opening minutes, with Fulham goalkeeper Robbie Stockdale forced to warm his fingers on a Chris Whelpdale effort from point-blank range, then a near-post Craig Mackail-Smith drive.
Peterborough came into this encounter having conceded in all but three of 28 outings this season and after half an hour Fulham took advantage of their generosity when Diomansy Kamara helped himself at the far post, nodding home a Chris Baird cross from deep.
Put through on goal with only Joe Lewis to beat just before the hour, Kamara rolled the ball into the bottom corner to end the match as a contest; just before half-time, Dickson Etuhu had taken advantage of a poor clearance from a Damien Duff cross to double Fulham's lead.
Although Peterborough looked decent on rare excursions forward, the gulf in class was all too apparent when they were under the cosh, with their one-time trainee Simon Davies and Duff proving their main tormentors with a series of jinking, mazy runs. On for Davies after the interval, Zoltan Gera made it 4-0 with a header from a corner, where once again markers were absent without leave.
The 5,000 Peterborough fans who had travelled finally found full voice when Lee Tomlin prodded a deserved consolation. It was far too little, too late.
Kamara promptly bagged his third, with substitute Jonathan Greening helping Fulham sign off with a flourish after Grant McCann had doubled the visitors' tally from the spot.
