Jay Stansfield was on target against former club Birmingham City as Fulham swept aside their League One hosts with a comprehensive 2-0 victory in the EFL Cup second round. (More Sports News)
Marco Silva's side fell short against Liverpool in the semi-finals of this competition last season, but made another good start to the new cup campaign on Tuesday after easing to victory at St. Andrew's.
Raul Jimenez opened the scoring with a 10th-minute penalty, awarded for handball against Alex Cochrane, before Birmingham were undone by a familiar face just four minutes later.
Striker Stansfield spent last season on loan with the Blues and, owing to that spell, refused to celebrate after profiting from Joachim Andersen's long pass before finishing with a clinical edge.
Birmingham could find no second-half response as Fulham progressed into Wednesday's third-round draw, with the Cottagers' next task a trip to Ipswich Town in the Premier League on Saturday.
Data Debrief: Cup control for Cottagers
Fulham have progressed from 12 of their last 15 EFL Cup ties against sides from a lower division, including Tuesday's win and both such matches last term against East Anglian duo Norwich City and Ipswich.
This outcome was somewhat expected, considering Fulham have won their last six games in all competitions against Birmingham by an aggregate score of 16-3.
Birmingham, meanwhile, have lost at this stage in their last four attempts (2017-18, 2021-22, 2023-24 and this season).
