The hosts' Nathaniel Chalobah was given his marching orders just eight minutes in following a reckless challenge on Sean Longstaff, though it took a VAR check for referee Darren England to make the call. The Magpies quickly made their numerical advantage count, as Callum Wilson - making his first appearance since the middle of August - applied the finishing touch to Joe Willock's knockdown.
Miguel Almirón put United two up with a spectacular strike just after the half hour mark, before Longstaff fired home a loose ball to pretty much end the game as a contest - with a full 45 minutes still to go.
Almirón added his second after the break as the Magpies matched their four-goal haul at Craven Cottage on the final day of the 2018/19 campaign. The scoreline didn't end up quite like for like, though, as Bobby Decordova-Reid notched a late consolation for Fulham.
The glass could have been perceived as being half full or half empty as far as how United's season had gone ahead of their trip to West London but they'd already fired a warning shot before Chalobah's dismissal, with Wilson striking the woodwork after Kieran Trippier's free kick caused carnage. After the former Chelsea midfielder saw red, though, they smelled blood, and all but put the outcome beyond doubt in the space of a devastating 25-minute spell.
Wilson set them on their way, marking his return to action in dream fashion. Trippier had all the time in the world to curl in a cross from the right and Willock's header, from 12 yards out, might well have been heading over the line itself. Wilson made sure, though, prodding the ball home at the back post.
He could easily have had a second after Willock was involved again, gathering the midfielder's cutback with his back to goal before curling the ball narrowly high and wide. The Magpies were already looking menacing, though, and doubled their lead barely five minutes later following a remarkable bit of improvisation - and inspiration - from Almirón. The Paraguayan ran onto Bruno Guimarães' similarly clever dink over the top of the Fulham backline and, though the angle was closing, managed to judge the flight of the ball perfectly, sending a glorious volley with the outside of his left boot past a stranded Bernd Leno and into the far corner of the net.
It was soon three. With the Cottagers reeling and at sixes and sevens defensively, Sven Botman was free to nod a Trippier corner towards goal, which Leno did well to push onto the post. It was Longstaff who reacted quickest, though, following up from close range to record his first goal of the campaign.
There was little let-up for Fulham after the break, though they did at least manage to stop a one-sided scoreline turning into a humiliating one. Leno was swiftly called back into action again, having to produce an instinctive stop to deny Willock after the sort of cutting Magpies move which became a trait of the afternoon.
Willock himself was a handful for the Cottagers throughout and he provided another assist as Almirón doubled his tally for the day. Jacob Murphy, handed a rare start out wide, played Willock through and the former Arsenal man put the ball on a plate for Almirón with a low delivery across the box.
Almirón briefly thought he had a hat-trick with 20 minutes to play after producing a neat finish from Longstaff's through pass. He timed his run a fraction too early, though, and a wave of the assistant referee's flag denied the in-form attacker an impressive hat-trick.
After avoiding further damage, Marco Silva's side managed to pull a goal back late on through Decordova-Reid, who ghosted in at the back post to nod Neeskens Kebano's cross beyond Nick Pope. It was Fulham's only real chance of the game.
There was still time for Newcastle to see another goal ruled out for offside, substitute Ryan Fraser the unfortunate one this time, but it didn’t matter at all in the grand scheme of things, with the visitors having been home and hosed for some time.
