Summary:
- One change for Palace as Olise replaces injured Eze
- Olise off-target with early chance from Wharton’s through-ball
- Muñoz has penalty appeal waved away as Eagles dominate early on
- Mateta turns Muñoz cross over and Richards heads onto roof of the Fulham net
- Wharton bends narrowly wide from Olise lay-off
- Henderson blocks from Rodrigo on the stroke of half-time; Diop heads over corner
- HT: Fulham 0-0 Palace
- Fulham take the lead soon after half-time through Rodrigo’s stooping header
- Hughes has effort blocked in the box as Palace look to respond immediately
- De Cordova-Reid skews wide from Pereira’s inviting cross
- Edouard tests Leno within moments of coming on for Mateta
- Olise’s clipped free-kick finds Richards, but ball squirms away from him
- Schlupp’s wondergoal secures Palace a point late on
- FT: Fulham 1-1 Palace
The Eagles were bidding to record a fourth Premier League win in a row – the first time they would have achieved that since June 2020, either side of Project Restart.
That three of those matches were being played in the space of seven days says much for the density of Palace’s recent fixture list – but having overcome West Ham and Newcastle United so convincingly at Selhurst Park in the space of four days, Palace took that confidence into the early stages at Craven Cottage, and dominated.
Winning three corners in the opening four minutes, the Eagles were consistently winning the ball high and – via an incisive pass or two from Adam Wharton and Will Hughes – breaking into the Fulham box.
It took just seven minutes for the clearest chance of the half to arrive. From a Palace throw-in on the left, the in-form Mateta spun and squared to Wharton, whose lovely low through-ball found Olise pulling off the shoulder of his marker. Needing to take it on his right foot to keep it away from Antonee Robinson, he skewed a shot wide from the edge of the box with just goalkeeper Bernd Leno to beat.
No matter – more opportunities were quick to arrive. More incisive interplay around the Fulham box led to Mateta, with not much space to operate in, rounding Leno near the touchline. Pulling the ball back for Daniel Muñoz, who shaped to shoot from six yards, the Colombian appeared to have his legs caught by the trailing Antonee Robinson, but neither the referee – nor VAR – saw fit to award a spot-kick.
The cavalcade of early chances kept coming. Another Wharton pass deflected kindly for Muñoz on the overlap and his cross – admittedly at a difficult height – was shinned over by Mateta. Moments later, a deep free-kick delivery from Olise was met, on the rise, by Chris Richards, whose header looped onto the roof of the net.
After starting slowly to the frustration of the Craven Cottage supporters, Fulham did come back into the game – but Palace continued to dominate in an attacking sense, with Nathaniel Clyne and Wharton in particular coming close to finding the top corner with efforts from distance. The latter was a delightful curling effort from 30 yards which rippled the top of the net.
With 42 minutes gone, Fulham had still not had a shot on the Palace goal – a signifier of the Eagles’ dominance to that point.
But the hosts admittedly finished the half strongly, some fine lone centre-forward play from Rodrigo Muniz saw him hold off two Palace defenders and squeeze a shot goalwards; Dean Henderson, quick off his line, blocked. From the subsequent corner, Issa Diop won the header – but powered it over.
Unfortunately, it was a sign of things to come, as Fulham started the second-half much brighter, their passing sharper and their movement more menacing.
And Palace were made to pay for their earlier profligacy when a clever passing move, with Andreas Pereira at the heart of it, resulted in Timothy Castagne producing a flat cross which Rodrigo – stooping six yards out – could not fail to plant home.
If there is any quality this Palace team have demonstrated this month, it is collective fight, and they did not bowed in the face of a rejuvenated opponent, continuing to press high and move the ball quickly in the hope of mounting an immediate response.
It almost came just five minutes later as Ayew’s drilled cross was skied high in the air. The ball dropped for Hughes inside the box, who showed a neat touch to bring it down, but Diop blocked his low shot behind at close range.
But as Palace committed bodies forwards, so too did space open on the break for Fulham, and a fine outside-of-the-boot cross from Pereira on 65 minutes really ought to have been converted by Bobby De Cordova-Reid; the Fulham man, on the stretch, skewed wide.
Palace persisted. Odsonne Edouard, within seconds of coming on, tested Leno with a low shot across goal, but the German got down to palm it behind.
Up the other end, a cute free-kick from Olise found Richards unmarked at the far post, but the defender went at it with his leg – and was unable to bring the ball down in front of goal as it squirmed behind.
Glasner brought on a number of late substitutes – and it yielded a moment of magic from Schlupp to win it.
In truth, it was a goal from nothing. Jeffrey Schlupp had other ideas, taking a touch from Wharton's pass, spinning and – from 25 yards out – striking the cleanest of shots into the top corner with the outside of his boot.
With plenty of positives to take at the culmination of a dense fixture list, a point was the least Palace deserved. And, true to recent form, they did so in style.
Palace: Henderson (GK), Clyne, Andersen, Richards, Muñoz, Wharton, Hughes, Mitchell (Ahamada, 86), Olise, Mateta (Edouard, 69), Ayew (Schlupp, 76)
Subs: Matthews (GK), Ward, Tomkins, Riedewald, Ozoh, Rak-Sakyi
Fulham: Leno (GK), Castagne, Bassey, Diop, Robinson, Reed (Cairney, 85), Palhinha (Lukic, 68), Iwobi, De Cordova-Reid (Willian, 68), Pereira (Wilson, 85), Muniz (Broja, 85)
Subs: Rodák (GK), Ream, Tete, Adama