Crystal Palace emphatically booked a Wembely date at the weekend when they saw off Fulham 3-0 in their FA Cup quarter-final visit to Craven Cottage.
The victory was the Eagles fifth away win in a row and sets up a Wembley semi-final date against Aston Villa as Olivier Glasner’s side look to win the first major honour in the club’s history.
The team were able to enjoy the aftermath of this latest cup win more than their previous success, when striker Jean-Philippe Mateta was hospitalised following a horror tackle by Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts during Palace’s fifth-round win over the Lions.
Will Jean-Philippe Mateta be fit for Crystal Palace’s trip to Southampton?
Roberts was sent off and hit with a six-game ban over the incident four weeks ago, which saw Mateta left with a lacerated ear that required 25 stitches after he had been kicked in the head by the Millwall ‘keeper.
The timing of the international break meant that Palace have played just once in the Premier League since the injury, with the Frenchman sitting out the 1-0 home against Ipswich Town.
Mateta has netted 12 times in the Premier League for Palace this term, including four in his four previous top-flight games before the injury, his recent good form coinciding with the Eagles run of good results in recent weeks.
Palace fans, therefore, will have been delighted to have seen him return to action this weekend, when he was named in the starting line-up to face Fulham.
The 27-year-old played 70 minutes against the Cottagers, wearing a protective mask that covered his injured ear and appeared to come through unscathed.
“All good, I think,” Palace boss Glasner said following the victory when asked about Mateta and his protective headwear. “So, I don’t know how long he has to wear it. The doctor will decide it.
“As long as there is maybe a risk that the wound opens or gets infected, he will wear this mask. And I think he looked pretty well.”
Next up for Palace is a trip to basement-dwellers Southampton on Wednesday night, which will be followed by the visit of rivals Brighton to Selhurst Park on Saturday, with Mateta appearing to be ready to continue.
