Fulham 0-3 Crystal Palace: Highlights, man of the match, stats as Eberechi Eze stars in FA Cup quarter-final success

Eberechi Eze registered two goal contributions to inspire Crystal Palace to a 3-0 victory over Fulham in the FA Cup quarter-final clash at Craven Cottage.

The major news before kickoff was that Jean-Philippe Mateta was named in the Palace lineup for the first time since he suffered a horrific ear injury in the fifth-round clash against Millwall earlier this month.

However, rather than the Palace striker, it was Eze who took it upon himself to inspire Palace to a famous victory just five days after scoring his first goal for England.

The 26-year-old produced a stunning effort to break the deadlock less than 10 minutes after his teammate, Jefferson Lerma, rattled the woodwork with a dipping volley.

Moments later, Eze turned provider for Ismaila Sarr to head home Palace’s second, giving Oliver Glasner‘s side a healthy two-goal cushion at half time.

Fulham boss Marco Silva made several substitutions in the second period in a bid to find a way back into the contest, but it was a Palace substitute who grabbed the game’s next goal, as Eddie Nketiah added his name to the scoresheet to wrap up a memorable win for the Eagles.

Palace can now look forward to their second semi-final appearance in four seasons, while Fulham will be bitterly disappointed to miss out on a Wembley semi-final.

SPORTS MOLE’S VERDICT

© Imago

Glasner could not have hoped for a better performance after seeing his team sweep past Fulham with minimum fuss in a one-sided affair.

In contrast, Silva would have been frustrated with the result, particularly as his team failed to lay a glove on their opponents in one of their biggest matches of the season.

It ultimately spoils Silva’s achievement of reaching 500 games in management, while it leaves him with a challenge to make sure the result does not have an adverse effect on Fulham’s league form.

FULHAM VS. CRYSTAL PALACE HIGHLIGHTS

Eze goal vs. Fulham (34th min, Fulham 0-1 Crystal Palace)

Eze gives Palace a precious lead with a sublime effort. The England international collects the ball inside from the left flank, before he shifts onto his right foot to create the space to drill a low strike into the far corner from the edge of the box.

Sarr goal vs. Fulham (39th min, Fulham 0-2 Crystal Palace)

Palace fans are in dreamland as Sarr doubles his team’s advantage at Craven Cottage. Eze races down the left flank to race onto Lerma’s pass, before he steadies himself to provide the inch-perfect cross for Sarr to send a glancing header beyond Bernd Leno.

Nketiah goal vs. Fulham (74th min, Fulham 0-3 Crystal Palace)

Game. Set. Match. Nketiah latches onto Daichi Kamada‘s ball into the left side of the box, and he demonstrates his goalscoring instinct by rolling the ball through Leno’s legs to spark wild scenes of jubilation in the away end.

MAN OF THE MATCH – EBERECHI EZE

© Imago

It’s been a memorable week for Eze, who produced a Man of the Match display in a FA Cup quarter-final just days after scoring his first international goal in England’s 3-0 win over Latvia.

Not only did he conjure up a special goal against Fulham, but it was a strike that set the tone for the remainder of the contest.

The 26-year-old also demonstrated his creative talents by providing the assist for Sarr to quickly make it two, and his performance ultimately proved to be one of the key reasons for Palace enjoying a comfortable afternoon at Craven Cottage.

FULHAM VS. CRYSTAL PALACE MATCH STATS

Possession: Fulham 71%-29% Crystal Palace
Shots: Fulham 16-8 Crystal Palace
Shots on target: Fulham 3-6 Crystal Palace
Corners: Fulham 12-2 Crystal Palace
Fouls: Fulham 11-10 Crystal Palace

BEST STATS

WHAT NEXT?

After claiming a fifth consecutive win in all competitions, Palace will look to continue their impressive run of form when they face Southampton in Wednesday’s Premier League contest.

As for the Cottagers, they will try to pick themselves up from their FA Cup exit in time for Tuesday’s meeting with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

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