Mark Hughes has urged his Fulham side to build on Saturday’s defeat of Wigan as they look to establish themselves in the upper reaches of the Premier League table.

The 2-0 win over the Latics, thanks to a Clint Dempsey brace, surged the Cottagers up to ninth.

And, with clashes with Aston Villa and Chelsea up next, Hughes is looking for some consistency.

He said: “It is no good having performances like this in isolation.

“You have to build on it and take it forward.

“We are getting to the point now where the table begins to even itself out and take shape.

“We feel that we are a top-ten side this year because of the quality we have in the squad, but we have to prove it on the pitch.”

Dempsey’s double ended a six-match winless run for the Londoners, and took the American’s season tally to five.

And boss Hughes was delighted with the fare provided at the weekend.

He added: “In the first half I thought we were absolutely outstanding.

“Some of our approach play was excellent.

“There was a real intent in what we were doing and we did not let Wigan gain any sort of foothold in the game.

“This was a result waiting to happen in many ways.

“We have played well this year but not got the points on the board that we deserve, so it is nice to put that right and be able to look forward.”

Fulham’s next three matches: Nov 6 Aston Villa (h), 10 Chelsea (a), 13 Newcastle (a)