LONDON was abuzz last night after the verdict in the 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?' trial hit the streets in time to make the final edition of the Evening Standard.

But at Loftus Road the burning question on everyone's lips was 'Who'd be the next Fulham manager?' after Rovers delivered their own damning verdict on the size of the task facing Jean Tigana's eventual successor.

Two years ago, Fulham eclipsed Rovers in the battle to gain promotion from the First Division and they did it in such a style that chairman Mohamed Al Fayed was confidently predicting his Londoners had the potential to challenge Manchester United.

It was Rovers, however, who looked more like United here as a couple of Sukur punches floored the ailing Londoners in quite spectacular style.

Hakan Sukur, 'the Bull of the Bosphorus', was the inspiration behind this victory and he underlined just why Graeme Souness wants to sign him permanently in the summer with two exquisitely taken goals either side of half-time - his first since a move from Parma in December.

It was the perfect way to silence the Fulham boo-boys who had jeered his every touch as a result of the acrimonious scenes surrounding Turkey's defeat at the hands of England last week.

But opposition fans the length and breadth of the country can boo him as much as they want if it provokes this kind of response.

It wasn't so much the fact he broke his scoring duck but the manner in which his goals were taken which had Rovers fans drooling.

His first, in the 42nd minute, bore the hallmark of a world class predator as he pulled down a cross and outfoxed a defender before keeping his composure to beat Maik Taylor.

But if that was impressive, it was merely an aperitif compared to his second which had Dennis Bergkamp stamped all over it.

Seizing onto a flick from Andy Cole, the talismanic Turk floated into the box where he cast a spell over the hapless Steve Finnan before caressing the coollest of finishes into the bottom corner.

It was a moment of pure magic from a player who has had his fair share of ups and downs this season and Souness was quick to hail his all-round contribution.

"Hakan is capable of scoring any type of goal," purred the Rovers boss.

"He's a good header of the ball, he's got great movement, he gets the tap-ins and he has the ability to be aware of what's going on around him, as everyone saw with his second goal tonight.

"I thought at times him and Andy Cole linked up very well and on a better pitch they would have linked up even better.

"He's had a very difficult ride in the last year or so. When he arrived, he had a hernia and then he broke his leg during training one day so he ended up having two operations.

"So I think it's only going to be in the last three or four games of the season that people see the true Hakan Sukur.

"I've worked with him before and I've got faith in him and I'm sure that, if we are patient, he'll show he can play in this league."

Sukur, quite rightly, stole the plaudits after his two-goal blast condemned Fulham to their joint-heaviest defeat under Tigana.

But Rovers had heroes all over the pitch on the night as they kept their own European aspirations flickering brightly with half a dozen games still to play.

Craig Short and Henning Berg were quite magnificent at the heart of defence as they erased the memories of that 5-1 thumping at Newcastle a fortnight ago.

And, with Garry Flitcroft and Tugay providing a solid base in the middle of the park, it was Rovers who won the crucial battle for supremacy in the engine room.

That gave Damien Duff and David Dunn the licence to cause terror down the flanks and they revelled in their duties, capping impressive contributions with a goal apiece.

How Fulham could have done with some of that craft and guile.

The first half hour was instantly forgettable as both sides struggled to fashion any clear goalscoring chances.

Louis Saha tried his luck from distance with a couple of snapshots, although neither tested Brad Friedel.

But the big American did need to be on his guard in the 30th minute when a daisy-cutter from Steed Malbranque threatened to creep in at the far post.

Rovers, in contrast, offered little going forward until they scored from their first meaningful attack in the 36th minute.

Flitcroft's cross was flicked on by Dunn and, although Cole's snap-shot was deflected onto the bar, Fulham's reprieve was momentary as Lee Clark then handled Flitcroft's return, allowing Dunn to score with customary aplomb from the penalty spot.

That rocked the home side and they never recovered after that as Rovers, and Sukur in particular, began to turn on the style.

His first goal on 42 minutes was a sublime effort.

Lucas Neill's deep cross was brilliantly plucked out of the air by the former Inter Milan star at the far post and he had the composure to round Finnan before sliding the deftest of finishes under Taylor.

Any hopes of a Fulham revival were then well and truly extinguished seven minutes into the second half.

Cole, who worked his socks off up front all night, won an aerial battle with Finnan before laying the ball into the path of Duff, who raced through on the left and fired a low drive under Taylor.

Just to rub salt into the wounds, the visitors then breached the Londoners' flimsy defences once again barely 60 seconds later.

Cole's flick broke to Sukur and the Turkish international cut a swathe through the Fulham defence, rounding Finnan in the process, before stroking a low shot into the corner. Classic stuff!

Such was Rovers' grip on the game that Souness could even afford the luxury of withdrawing Tugay in the closing stages, the Turk getting a standing ovation from the visiting fans in the process for his outstanding contribution.

For Tigana, however, there was no such comfort.

With six games to go, the Frenchman is still looking nervously over his shoulder.

The threat of relegation may be a distant one, but an anxious finale is not exactly the ending he had in mind to his Fulham career.

FULHAM 0

ROVERS 4

Scorers: Dunn (p) 36, Sukur 42, 54 Duff 52