Report: Eagles held by Fulham in 2026 opener

Summary:

• Both teams unchanged for opening fixture of 2026.
• 20: A quiet opening at Selhurst sees Palace threaten mainly from set-pieces, with Leno turning over Lacroix’s looping cross.
• 24: Fulham create the first two chances with Henderson denying Wilson, and Jimenez side-footing wide the rebound.
• 31: Guéhi is denied from close range by Leno, before Pino then bends a shot wide.
• 39 – GOAL: Clyne does brilliantly to tee up Mateta for a powerful close-range header.
• 44: Clyne then half-volleys over after some clever footwork in the box, before Hughes also goes close.
• 45+4: Lacroix produces a goal-saving challenge to deny Fulham a first-half equaliser.
• HT: Palace 1-0 Fulham
• 52: Devenny’s first-time strike is blocked by Berge just inside the Fulham box.
• 58: Jimenez’s header hits the woodwork as Fulham threaten for the first time in the half.
• 73: Lacroix forces Leno to palm against the bar from a corner, before his header is stopped on the line.
• 80 – Goal: Cairney equalises for Fulham with a clever finish from the edge of the box.
• 90+1: Henderson produces a phenomenal late save to deny Castagne from close range.
• 90+5: Andersen blazes over as Fulham go close from a series of corners.
• FT: Palace 1-1 Fulham

Just four days after a narrow defeat to Tottenham in SE25, Palace started with an unchanged XI for our opening match of 2026, as the Eagles went in search of a first win in four in the Premier League.

Fulham, too, were unchanged, having won each of their last three matches since a 2-1 defeat to the Eagles at Craven Cottage just shy of three weeks ago.

As can often prove the case at this time of the year, however, the match was a slow burner in its opening quarter, with two well-drilled teams keeping the other at bay.

Palace arguably had the better of those exchanges with several threatening set-piece deliveries not quite finding a red and blue shirt, and Fulham ‘keeper Bernd Leno improvising to turn over Maxence Lacroix’s cross while unsure of his surroundings.

It wasn’t until the 24th minute, however, that either side had a shot – but when it did arrive, it yielded two decent opportunities for Fulham.

A flat ball in from the left by Kevin was inadvertently touched on beyond the Palace defenders by Emile Smith Rowe, landing for Harry Wilson to hit from a tight angle on the half-volley.

Dean Henderson did well to beat the ball away from goal – and Raul Jimenez’s instinctive volleyed rebound, thankfully, drifted well wide in the end.

In truth, it wasn’t until the half-hour mark that chances began to arrive – but when they did, they did so in a flurry.

First, last month’s matchwinner at Craven Cottage, Guéhi, had the chance to score his second goal against Fulham in the space of three weeks, following a lovely turn from Tyrick Mitchell’s deflected pull-back. Needing to take the shot early, he prodded goalwards from just inside the six-yard box, Leno doing well to kick the effort away.

When the ball came out to Will Hughes, the midfielder touched it beyond Sasa Lukic and was brought down – VAR later judging the incident to be just outside the penalty area – before Yéremy Pino bent the loose ball wide.

Eight minutes later, however, Palace had their first goal at home to Fulham since February 2019 – and first goal of 2026.

The Eagles’ top scorer in 2025, Jean-Philippe Mateta, was the man to provide it, but it arrived courtesy of some fabulous footwork out on the right by Nathaniel Clyne to outfox Antonee Robinson.

The full-back duly clipped in an inch-perfect cross for Mateta – six yards from goal – to head back across keeper Leno, and into the net to spark Selhurst into a frenzy.

Palace’s tails were up, and Clyne went close again moments later with a fantastic flick over his covering defender’s head – only to half-volley wide on his weaker left foot.

Moments later, Hughes ran onto Pino’s lay-off to hit a first-time effort from just inside the box which skewed wide of the far post.

The Eagles were clicking into their attacking rhythm, but were indebted to Henderson and Lacroix on the stroke of half-time when the former beat away Kevin’s effort from 30 yards, and the latter made a goal-saving sliding tackle in front of the Holmesdale to prevent Wilson from smashing the rebound goalwards.

A hard-fought 1-0 half-time lead for Palace - but fully deserved – and they emerged in the second-half with similar vigour, Justin Devenny exchanging passes with Mitchell before seeing his first-time effort blocked by Joachim Andersen’s chest.

But Fulham provided a reminder of their attacking qualities shortly before the hour mark when Raul Jimenez rose high between two red and blue shirts and nodded Robinson’s cross goalwards, into the ground.

The ball skipped up off the turf but, thankfully, crashed against the woodwork, and away.

Palace were much more fluid in the second-half and had further half-chances to extend their lead through Devenny – tackled at the last minute having seized on an errant backpass – and Mateta, flagged offside after running clean through.

While the performance didn’t always have fluidity, it had plenty of fight, as on 73 minutes Lacroix came within inches of doubling our lead.

As Pino floated a corner in towards the near post, Lacroix vied with Leno for it and forced the Fulham keeper to punch it high into the air.

As the ball appeared set to drop beneath the bar, Leno backpedalled and palmed against it – the rebound dropped to Lacroix, but his header appeared to hit Guéhi, himself unsighted, on the line, before being cleared.

It wasn’t until the latter stages that Fulham began to sustain any attacks – but when they did, sadly, they made one count.

The goal was simple enough, as Robinson weaved in from the left and passed to Lukic, who squared for substitute Tom Cairney on the edge of the box.

The midfielder was left in too much room on the edge of the box – and duly curled in a left-footed finish into the top corner.

Palace sent on Romain Esse and Christantus Uche immediately after as they sought out a winner – but it was Fulham who had two glorious chances to win it in stoppage time.

The first fell to full-back Timothy Castagne after the ball deflected kindly into his path – only for Henderson to make an outstanding fingertip save at point-blank range to turn it away.

In the final seconds of six minutes’ stoppage time, a corner kick dropped inside the box for Andersen to hit – but thankfully for the former Palace defender blazed over from six yards.

In the end, both teams – who had started the match round 11th and 12th in the table – were forced to settle for a point apiece in the opening encounter of 2026.

Palace: Henderson (GK), Lacroix, Guéhi, Lerma, Clyne (Sosa, 90+2), Hughes (Canvot, 57), Wharton, Mitchell, Devenny (Esse, 82), Pino (Uche, 82), Mateta.

Subs: Benítez (GK), Benamar, Rodney, Drakes-Thomas, Casey.

Fulham: Leno (GK), Tete (Castagne, 51), Andersen, Cuenca, Robinson, Berge (Cairney, 67), Lukic, Smith Rowe, Wilson (Reed, 85), Jimenez, Kevin (Traore, 85).

Subs: Lecomte (GK), Diop, Amissah, Ridgeon, Kusi-Asare.

As It Happened