Eddie Nketiah’s instinctive first-half finish helped Crystal Palace make it five straight wins at Craven Cottage – and reach the Carabao Cup quarter-finals for a third season in a row, a first for the club.
Eddie Nketiah’s instinctive first-half finish helped Crystal Palace make it five straight wins at Craven Cottage – and reach the Carabao Cup quarter-finals for a third season in a row, a first for the club.
The Eagles’ tremendous record away at Fulham continued in a game in which their defensive resilience was often tested but – thanks to Nketiah’s delightful near-post run and flick, and a hard-fought but well-earned clean sheet – ended in a valuable victory.
In the middle of a busy run of nine matches in the space of just 28 days, Palace Manager Pierre Sage elected to make 10 changes to the side which faced Newcastle United at the weekend.
Among the starters were club captain Dean Henderson, out injured since Palace’s last trip to Craven Cottage – a 3-2 win on 5th September; and Cheick Doucouré, making his first competitive appearance since 15th January 2025 and first start since 4th January that year.
Fulham were less rotated, but still significantly so – just the six changes for the hosts – and, given the home impetus, started the brighter with some dominance on the ball.
But chances proved few and far between in the opening quarter-of-an-hour – before three big opportunities in the next five minutes.
The first fell the way of defender Tete, who miscued a header from Alex Iwobi’s corner. The second showed Henderson at his best, with Antonee Robinson on the end of an overload and drilling low towards goal – only for our skipper to stick a foot out and kick away.
And they could have scored again a few moments later through former Eagle, Joachim Andersen, but the Denmark defender nodded wide from another floated set-piece.
Those flurry of opportunities were as good as it got for Fulham in the first-half, with Palace establishing themselves more in the contest there-on out – Doucouré and Will Hughes in particular shielding their back line effectively.
And then, as has so often been the case at Craven Cottage, Palace took the lead.
It was a tremendous goal – Óscar Mingueza pinching the ball off Alex Iwobi, striding into the green grass ahead of him, and delivering a flat cross towards the near post.
Nketiah had form for scoring at Craven Cottage – and came flying in at the near post to beat Andersen to the ball and apply a deft flick towards the far post, beating Benjamin Lecomte in the Fulham goal.
Three different seasons Nketiah had scored on the ground, in three different competitions, with three wonderful goals.
In a half where defences were on top, with Jefferson Lerma, Chris Richards and Honest Ahanor particularly solid for Palace, the opener was always likely to prove vital – although Sander Berge did threaten for Fulham with a deflected effort, and then a header from distance.
But – backed by a vociferous sold-out away end, hoping to see Palace make it five wins on the spin at Craven Cottage – Nketiah’s edge had given Palace the lead at the break.
When the match restarted, it was Palace who had the first opportunity, Evann Guessand showing good strength at the far post to spin Tete and fire goalwards from a tight angle, only for Lecomte to kick away.
What followed was another spell of relative Fulham dominance in terms of possession – but with Palace keeping their hosts resolutely at bay.
Ahanor in particular was called upon to make a fine defensive intervention from one threatening delivery, whilst Henderson saved – comfortably – from a placed Rodrigo Muniz effort.
As the second-half wore on and the number of substitutions increased, Fulham were increasingly knocking on the door – Palace’s resilience typified with a thunderous Richards challenge after King had picked up a promising space in front of goal.
Into the final quarter of the game, Henderson’s best save to that point, as another Fulham corner came in, and Iwobi somehow found space to direct goalwards with the side of his foot. Six yards out, Henderson threw his legs at it, and somehow managed to take the pace off it, allowing his defenders to clear.
To their credit, after coming through that tricky spell, Palace entered the final 10 minutes of the match looking relatively comfortable in defence.
And they even had a decent opportunity to double their lead after winning the ball high, substitutes Yéremy Pino and Dwight McNeil combining – the latter only denied by a sprawling save from Lecomte.
Fulham continued to probe and Gonzalo Garcia looked set to get a shot away inside the box, only for Adam Wharton to pick his pocket from behind at the crucial moment.
Palace broke, Daichi Kamada laid off for the lively McNeil and, after three shimmies, his curling strike was caught by Lecomte.
Fulham continued to press and forced a series of late set-pieces – but the best chance went the way of Kamada with three minutes left, him mis controlling his finish from Tyrick Mitchell’s pull-back into the box.
Two minutes into stoppage time, Garcia went close with the best chance of the half – powerfully heading Robinson’s cross straight at Henderson, who beat it away well.
In the end, the hosts failed to lay another meaningful glove on Palace – and a place in the last eight of the Carabao Cup, once more, was the Eagles’ to enjoy.
Fulham: Lecomte (GK), Tete (Castagne, 58), Andersen, Bassey, Robinson, Berge, Larsson (Cairney, 58), Iwobi (Garcia, 72), Bobb (Kevin, 82), Palacios (King, 58), Muniz.
Subs: Leno (GK), Cuenca, Reed, Cairney, Kevin, Angel.
Palace: Henderson (GK), Lerma, Richards, Ahanor, Mingueza, Hughes, Doucouré (Wharton, 61), Chilwell (Mitchell, 61), Osorio (Pino, 77), Nketiah (McNeil, 70), Guessand (Kamada, 77).
Subs: Benítez (GK), Disasi, Khalaili, Gozo.
