Crystal Palace secured their place in the FA Cup semi-finals with an impressive 3-0 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage, extending their winning streak to six consecutive away matches without conceding.
The Eagles welcomed striker Jean-Philippe Mateta back into the starting lineup following his injury in the previous round.
However, it was Fulham who dominated the early exchanges, with Rodrigo Muniz nearly opening the scoring within two minutes, only to see his curled effort miss the target.
Marco Silva’s side maintained control but struggled to beat Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson. Andreas Pereira came close after an excellent run from Calvin Bassey, but his shot went wide.
Midway through the first half, the momentum shifted in Palace’s favor. Jefferson Lerma signaled their growing threat with a spectacular outside-of-the-foot volley that rattled the crossbar.
Shortly after, Eberechi Eze broke the deadlock in style, showcasing his skill by evading a defender before curling a precise shot into the bottom corner. Four of his last five Palace goals have come in cup competitions.
Eze then turned provider, delivering a pinpoint cross that Ismaila Sarr headed home, doubling Crystal Palace’s lead before halftime.
Seeking a response, Silva introduced Emile Smith Rowe and Adama Traore after the restart. The changes injected energy into Fulham’s attack, with Willian forcing Henderson into a fine save and Bassey being denied by a last-ditch block from Sarr.
However, those missed opportunities proved costly. Palace regrouped and put the result beyond doubt when substitute Daichi Kamada set up Eddie Nketiah, who calmly slotted past Bernd Leno to seal the victory.
Fulham’s hopes of reaching their first FA Cup semi-final since 2001/02 were dashed, and their struggles against Palace at home continued, extending their winless run in head-to-head encounters to seven.
