There was plenty of controversy to keep the talking heads hyperventilating at Craven Cottage last night. If the powers that be hadn’t wedded themselves to a flawed introduction of technology to assist below-par officials, the persisting pausing of the action in the doomed pursuit of better decisions would be phased out in recognition of how it short changes much going fans. Whilst the debate about what do about a game that has gifted too much power to a television official is not limited to football (look at the Rugby World Cup final last month, for instance), there can be no longer be any disagreement about Tom Cairney’s top tier value.

Cairney’s longevity is something to savour – he made his Premier League debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers for Hull City more than thirteen years ago – and he has been a cult hero down by the banks of the Thames on account of his pivotal role in three promotions from the Championship. A cultured midfielder, with an eye for a pass as well as for a spectacular goal, shone in an advanced role for Slavisa Jokanovic’s promotion-winning side as Fulham’s fulcrum, memorably slotting home the winner at Wembley when the Whites beat Aston Villa in the 2018 play-off final.

But Cairney, who has shown serious fortitude to come back from three serious knee injuries, seemed destined not to be able to make his mark on the top flight. He made only eleven Premier League appearances for Hull and got caught in Fulham’s yo-yo cycle. Usurped by Jean Michael Seri in the season that followed his promotion heroics, he was distrusted by Claudio Ranieri and passed over by Scott Parker with whispers that his troublesome knees couldn’t stand the pace any longer. Whilst the Scottish international, who has somehow only garnered two senior caps, is certainly not the box-to-box operator of his youth, his experience and manipulation of the ball are invaluable and he is an astute assessor of game situations.

It took Marco Silva to both rebuild Cairney’s confidence – there were times when it didn’t look like he would return to the Fulham first team after almost a year out after another injury setback – and craft a role in his top flight team. It didn’t seem like a revelatory idea to pair Cairney’s playmaking with the tenacity of Joao Palhinha and, admittedly, the lad Leeds dispensed with at fourteen for being too small, was initially used as a substitute, but jettisoning a creator of Cairney’s class would probably pass for gross misconduct when you are seeking to shape a side in a possession-based philosophy.

Quietly, last night, the captain returned to Fulham’s midfield in the absence of the suspended Palhinha and made light of Wolves’ numerical advantage in the engine room. He dictated proceedings from a deep-lying midfield possession, starting attacks by dropping deep to pick up the ball, switching the ball with poise and panache, and – crucially – putting his foot on the ball when the moment demanded it. There were even a few snappy challenges, such as the one that dispossessed Mario Lemina and indirectly led to the winning of Fulham’s first penalty.

Much has been made of the fact that Cairney is so dependent on his left foot, but it is such a potent weapon in opening defences it would be a crying shame to see it consigned to the sidelines. In the era of five substitutes, the masterful midfielder is assured of a spot in the matchday squad and it was heartening to see his technical ability shine through in the physical and frenetic modern game. He could easily have grabbed a deserved goal had he placed his early sighter from a short corner wide of Jose Sa or if his low drive in the second half had not whistled a yard wide of the far post.

One of the wonders of professional sport is how long some of our heroes endure these days. Think of Jimmy Anderson still bowling out Test match batsman, Andy Murray outlasting opponents on the ATP Tour and, even amongst the current Fulham squad, the contributions of Willian and Tim Ream show that there’s no substitute for experience. There’s a joy in watching Cairney strut his stuff in a Fulham side that is finally competitive in the top flight almost ten years after he arrived from Ewood Park for a barely believable £3m. Let’s hope we’ve got much more to savour.