Stoke City have seen off Fulham by a solitary goal, running out 1-0 winners courtesy of a Charlie Adam strike.
© PA Photos
The hosts enjoyed the first clear-cut chance of the half when Matthew Etherington's corner found Robert Huth six yards out, but the German could only head wide.
The Potters took the lead in the 26th minute when a deep cross from Ryan Shotton found Peter Crouch, who nodded the ball down to Adam inside the six-yard box, allowing the former Liverpool man to swivel and shoot to make it 1-0.
Stoke almost doubled their lead 10 minutes later as their aerial prowess once again proved problematic for Fulham. This time it was Ryan Shawcross who got on the end of Etherington's cross, but his header rebounded off the bottom of the bar before being cleared.
Shawcross had two chances in quick succession midway through the second half, but he was first denied by Mark Schwarzer before sending his next header just wide.
Berbatov provided an increasingly rare chance for Fulham with 15 minutes left on the clock, curling an effort towards the top corner that Asmir Begovic did well to get to.
There was still time for the Potters to net once more, but Kenwyne Jones's effort was ruled out for offside as Stoke claimed all three points.
Barney Corkhill
