With Willian's outstanding first-half goal, Fulham ended their winless Premier League streak and handed Nottingham Forest their first defeat in the top division since 2023.
Willian, a former winger for Chelsea and Arsenal, gathered a loose ball inside the box before cutting onto his left foot and curling a shot into the top corner.
Manor Solomon, a second-half substitute, ended Forest's chances of earning a point with a precise finish two minutes from the end.
Aleksandar Mitrovic, Bobby de Cordova-Reid, and Andreas Pereira all came within inches of doubling the hosts' lead as Forest, who lost center-backs Willy Boly and Scott McKenna to early injuries, were fortunate to be only 1-0 down at halftime.
Soon after the break, Willian and Pereira were both denied goals by the goal frame, but Forest, perhaps encouraged by Fulham's inability to extend their lead, got better as the game went on.
The visitors nearly tied the score through substitutions Jonjo Shelvey and Emmanuel Dennis, but the latter sent his header straight at Bernd Leno before Solomon scored late.
While Fulham surpasses Brentford into seventh place, Steve Cooper's team drops to 14th and remains six points above the relegation zone.
Solomon's opening shot came before Willian's wonder goal.
Boly and McKenna were replaced in the seventh minute due to injuries, which was a stroke of luck for Fulham, but this performance was in line with the Cottagers' stellar season thus far.
When Willian scored his third goal of the season, Silva's confident and assured team deservedly ended a stretch of more than five hours without a Premier League goal.
When Mitrovic and De Cordova-Reid were both denied by last-ditch blocks, the opportunity appeared to have passed. However, Willian recovered the ball and calmly lifted it over five Forest defenders into the top corner to break the tie.
After taking Willian's pass in stride and dodging two Forest challenges, Mitrovic came close to ending his own five-game goal drought, but Keylor Navas stopped his goal-bound shot.
Silva's team led going into halftime, but De Cordova-Reid's fierce right-footed strike rattled the crossbar and Pereira's shot went wide of the far post.
The early stages of the second period saw little change in the style of play as Willian's curling shot hit the post and Pereira's dipping free-kick hit the crossbar.
Leno, the goalkeeper, had to be alert to stop Dennis from scoring from close range as the visitors looked for an equalizer.
When it looked like Fulham's fans might regret their team's frivolity, Solomon calmed their fears in the 88th minute with a strong finish off Pereira's low cross for his first goal since joining on loan from Shakhtar Donetsk.
More will come.
