Crystal Palace secured their spot in the FA Cup semi-finals for the third time in nine years with a dominant 3-0 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage. The win also marked Crystal Palace’s sixth consecutive away match across all competitions without conceding a goal.
Crystal Palace welcomed back striker Jean-Philippe Mateta to their starting lineup, his first appearance since suffering a significant injury in the previous round. However, Fulham started the match strongly.
Fulham’s Rodrigo Muniz threatened early, nearly scoring within the first two minutes, but his left-footed shot went wide. Fulham maintained control in the initial stages, with Andreas Pereira also coming close, but Dean Henderson proved difficult to beat.
After a brief pause in play, Crystal Palace gained momentum. Jefferson Lerma almost scored with an impressive volley that struck the crossbar. This marked a turning point, as Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze opened the scoring with a brilliant curling shot.
Eze continued to be influential, turning provider to set up Ismaila Sarr, who headed home Crystal Palace’s second goal before halftime.
In the second half, Fulham’s manager, Marco Silva, made substitutions, bringing on Emile Smith Rowe and Adama Traore, to try and shift the momentum.
Fulham showed more dynamism, with Willian forcing a save from Henderson, and Sarr making a crucial block to deny Calvin Bassey.
However, Crystal Palace capitalized on Fulham’s missed chances. Substitute Eddie Nketiah scored, sealing a comfortable 3-0 victory for Crystal Palace.
Crystal Palace’s win secures their place in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley. Fulham’s wait for a first appearance in the semi-finals since 2001/02 continues, and their winless streak in head-to-head matches at home against Crystal Palace extends to seven.
