Adam Wharton might have been lucky to stay on the pitch but there was nothing fortunate about the result. Eberechi Eze-inspired Crystal Palace clinched their place in the FA Cup semi-finals – for the second time in four seasons – in emphatic fashion after dismantling Fulham to record their sixth consecutive away victory in all competitions.
Oliver Glasner’s exceptional Eagles simply love playing on the road and after keeping seven straight away clean sheets, in some ways, it’s a pity they now head to neutral ground as they have made a real habit of embarrassing opponents on their own patch.
For all the talk about the returning Jean-Philippe Mateta, Palace did not need their water polo cap-wearing hero at his best, as Eze, jet-heeled Ismaila Sarr and sub Eddie Nketiah inflicted the damage with three ruthless finishes.
As furious Fulham fans flooded towards the exits shouting expletives after Nketiah had buried Palace’s third, you began to wonder how this team and manager are on course to break the club’s Premier League-record points total.
Silva has had three shots at Wembley as Craven Cottage boss and each time he’s fallen short after losing to Manchester United at the quarter-final stage in 2023 before last season’s Carabao Cup semi-final defeat to Liverpool.
Marco Silva’s Fulham were well beaten at Craven Cottage(AFP via
During a week in which he finally talked up his own European aspirations in the Portuguese press, this was one of the few dark days of his Fulham reign. His men had immediately taken the game to Palace as Rodrigo Muniz, who pipped Raul Jimenez to a start having struck three goals in as many FA Cup games this season, left Marc Guehi and Maxence Lacroix for dust before curling narrowly wide inside two minutes.
The Cottagers saw a half-hearted penalty shout correctly rebuffed when ex-Eagle Joachim Andersen’s strike struck the supporting arm of Jefferson Lerma and just minutes later, lethargic Palace were feeling the heat as Wharton was booked for scything down Willian. As the fired-up hosts began to shift through the gears, the smart money was undoubtedly on Fulham.
Andreas Pereira flashed the ball just past the post following great work from Calvin Bassey before Muniz hit the deck following an innocuous incident involving Wharton.
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