There, Charlie Paynter’s side had thumped the Whites 5-0 at the Boleyn Ground on 9 March 1940, with his successor Ted Fenton among the scorers, and Alec George Foreman and Joseph Stanley Foxall (pictured, above) each netting two goals.
The return fixture was played at Craven Cottage just five days before the War Cup semi-final, with Fulham running out 2-1 winners.
One win apiece and all to play for at Stamford Bridge, then.
Such was the interest in the semi-final that the gates were closed ten minutes prior to kick-off as the restricted crowd capacity had been reached.
The 32,799 crowd cheered the teams onto the pitch and then fell silent as the national anthem was played.
When the game got underway, West Ham were in inspired form, racing into a 3-0 half-time lead through goals from Foxall, Len Goulden and Sam Small.
An own-goal made it 4-0 on 65 minutes, but Fulham were not done, scoring three goals in the next nine minutes to set nerves jangling in the Claret and Blue ranks.
Paynter’s side clung on though, and secured a narrow victory that secured just their second visit to Wembley Stadium a week later.