Report & Highlights: Palace fight back to claim three points v Fulham

Summary

• Mustapha came in for Marsh as the only change

• Fulham take the lead through Osmand eight minutes in

• Cardines draws Palace level just six minutes later

• Seb Williams’ effort from 25-yards is parried away

• Eastwood makes a strong stop to deny Osmand a second

• Dashi puts Palace ahead on the stroke of half-time

• HT: Palace 2-1 Fulham

• Derry hits the woodwork just before putting Palace 3-1 up on the hour-mark

• Gofford pulls one back for Fulham

• Derry strikes the post in the 70th minute

• In the 82nd minute, Agbinone nets a fourth for Palace to seal the points

• FT: Palace 4-2 Fulham

A week on from the 1-1 draw with Leicester City, Crystal Palace Under-18s hosted a London derby as they welcomed Fulham to Copers Cope for the second time this season.

The last time these two sides met was in a winner-takes-all U18 Premier League Cup group stage game for qualification, where Palace emerged victorious in a nine-goal thriller.

There was a single change to the side, with Hindolo Mustapha coming in for Zach Marsh - who featured for the Under-21s in their 2-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion on Friday.

The visitors managed to take the lead early on with their first attempt of the game. Ma’Kel Bogel-Campbell found space out wide and squared a ball across the box, which Palace couldn’t properly clear, into the path of Callum Osmand who finished from close range.

Though they were a goal down within the opening 10 minutes, the young Eagles’ heads did not drop. Instead they picked themselves up and went in search of an equaliser which came just six minutes after Fulham took the lead.

Great link up play down the right hand side between Mustapha, Matteo Dashi and Seb Williams saw the latter play a glancing ball across the box. It was cleared out to Mustapha who fired a strong shot along the ground towards goal.

Marco Underwood in the Fulham goal saved it, but it broke out into the danger zone directly in front of him and Rio Cardines was on hand to claim his first goal of the season with a simple finish.

It was a tale of two ‘keepers as the first-half went on. Underwood was called into action again as he denied Seb Williams’ stinging effort from 25-yards out, whilst Eastwood came rushing out to deny Osmand a second.

Routine stops for both of the men in either goal carried on as the game edged towards the interval, however Palace managed to get their noses in front in first-half stoppage time.

Outstanding running from Mustapha saw him drive towards the byline and evade Fulham defenders tracking back to stop him. He glanced a ball across the face of goal and Dashi couldn’t miss from close range.

Going into the break ahead reinvigorated the young Eagles as they came racing out the blocks in the second-half in search of a way to extend their lead.

An acrobatic effort from Jesse Derry was wayward early on in the second-half, while Asher Agbinone tested the ‘keeper from a narrow angle after fending off two Fulham defenders.

Derry was at the heart of Palace’s attacks in the second-half and managed to strike the crossbar, before finding the bottom corner with a well-taken effort on the hour-mark.

On the edge of the box, Derry took on two Fulham defenders on his left foot and then worked it onto his right to find half a yard to get a shot away. It beat Underwood and nestled in the bottom right corner of the goal.

Fulham pulled one back through Oliver Gofford five minutes later, as he headed in off the crossbar, following a well worked corner routine.

Palace’s lead was again reduced to one, but they were still in control of the game and came close to restoring the two-goal cushion five minutes after Gofford’s goal, but Derry’s effort struck the base of the post.

With just under 10 minutes remaining, Agbinone settled things for the young Eagles as he added a fourth. George King went on a blistering run from right-back which saw him strike the post, before the ball broke to Agbinone.

Playing as a No. 9, he pulled off an accomplished finish as he shifted the ball onto his right inside the box and buried it into the bottom left corner.

After his goal the side saw out the rest of the game with relative ease, taking all three points from the London derby. Rob Quinn’s side now leapfrog Fulham into 5th place in the U18 Premier League, level on points with Chelsea and two behind Arsenal.

Palace: Eastwood, Grante, Jemide, King, Cardines, S. Williams (Adams-Collman, 84), Gibbard, Mustapha (Lusale, 68), Dashi, Agbinone, Derry (Redhead, 87).

Subs not used: Hill (GK), Cowin.

Fulham: Underwood (GK), De-Jesus, Slade, Nsasi, Tabares, White, Olyott, Gofford, Osmand, Quashie (Ali-Wahid, 45), Bogle-Campbell.

Subs not used: Varney (GK), Wingate, Park, Picotto.