Fulham 0-3 Crystal Palace: FA Cup quarter-final – as it happened

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And here’s Simon Burnton’s report from Craven Cottage as Crystal Palace secure their spot at Wembley thanks to a sprinkling of magic from Ebere Eze in an FA Cup quarter-final.

Eze: “We’re confident in ourselves and we know what we can do, we know what we are capable of. It’s games like today where you show the mentality which will get you further in the tournament.”

Glasner also praised the “character” and “work rate” of his squad and says attention will now turn to the league game against Southampton on Wednesday night.

Oliver Glasner speaks to ITV:

Key number one was to survive the first 20 minutes, we were really rusty after two weeks without a game. Key number two was Eberechi’s goal, it was unbelievable.

I told him his goal was so important as we got the belief back. You need something, some positive actions when you’re struggling in a game.

It’s not fair today just to talk about one player, it was a real team effort.

Crystal Palace have now won 11 of their past 14 matches in all competitions, and their past six consecutive away matches without conceding a goal. That run:

15 Jan: Leicester 0-2 C Palace
18 Jan: West Ham 0-2 C Palace
2 Feb: Man Utd 0-2 C Palace
10 Feb: Doncaster 0-2 C Palace
22 Feb: Fulham 0-2 C Palace
29 March: Fulham 0-3 C Palace

Crystal Palace haven’t conceded an away goal in 2025. Mad.

A reminder that the FA Cup semi-final draw will take place after Preston v Aston Villa and before Bournemouth v Man City on Sunday.

Eze was a very happy chap as he was interviewed by ITV after full-time.

We’ll bring you some reaction quotes before the match report lands.

Well, we assumed this would be a tight contest between two of the Premier League’s upwardly mobile middling types, but it turned out to be a clinical Crystal Palace performance at both ends of the pitch.

Eze was the star, so too the Eagles’ rock-solid defence, and Oliver Glasner’s side have secured a thoroughly deserved spot in the FA Cup semi-finals. The celebrations are already well under way for the visitors at Craven Cottage.

Happy Eagles soaring high. Photograph: John Walton/PA

90 mins + 2: That pretty much sums it up from Fulham. Cairney’s aimless ball asks way too much of Traore and Henderson rushes off his line to collect it.

We’re just waiting for the final whistle now, with Palace taking it into the far corner.

Into three added minutes. Palace fans, you can start Googling hotels near Wembley for the weekend of 26-27 April.

Eze is applauded off as Matheus Franca gets a few minutes.

89 mins: Ally McCoist has just given the broadcasters’ Player of the Match award to Ebere Eze. He cites “forward bias” in ignoring the Palace defenders, but I think that’s a fair call.

Your 3pm updates this afternoon come via Emillia Hawkins, with no Premier League schedule but plenty of Championship and European action to keep her busy.

86 mins: Some nice interplay between Muniz and Jimenez threatens to open Palace up, but the door is quickly shut on them once more.

84 mins: Hats off to the Palace back three today. Chris Richards, Marc Guéhi and Maxence Lacroix have been phenomenal. They simply won’t allow Fulham to score. A defensive masterclass.

82 mins: Tom Cairney comes on for Fulham as Andersen concedes a corner.

“Joachim, what’s the score?” is the latest Palace chant, aimed at their former player.

81 mins: Eze slips it through to Sarr as Palace counter after heading away (again) from a series of Fulham crosses. Sarr made a complete mess of that, stabbing it straight at Leno, so it’s just as well he was offside.

80 mins: Last 10 minutes. Is there any chance of a late twist in the tale?

It’s another Fulham corner. They’ll keep throwing balls into the box that’s for sure.

78 min: I just got another email from Palace fan Martin Brown who said he could still not relax at 2-0 watching on from the pub. I think you can allow yourself a drink now, Martin.

The Palace fans are partying at the Cottage, as Traore chases one down to win a corner.

76 mins: The Palace fans have started with the que sera, seras. They think they’re going to Wem-ber-ley.

Game over, surely!

Calvin Bassey steps up trying to play offside but it looks like a brilliantly-timed ball by Kamada, combining with fellow substitute Nketiah, who slips it through the legs of Leno. Palace can smell the Wembley turf.

Crystal Palace’s Eddie Nketiah celebrates scoring their side’s third goal of the game. Photograph: John Walton/PA

71 mins: Palace have brought on Eddie Nketiah and Daichi Kamada, with Mateta and Wharton replaced. Both understandable changes from Glasner for various reasons.

69 mins: Adama Traore has certainly made a positive difference since coming on, with his direct and fast running.

67 mins: Eze wants a free-kick after a possible foul from Castagne but the referee waves play on and it brings about a chance for Willian, with Henderson doing well enough to fingertip it wide.

Not a bad chance.

Fulham’s Calvin Bassey (centre right) fails to contect with this attempt on goal. Photograph: Henry Nicholls/AFP/Getty Images

66 mins: Sarr races forward on the counter down the right and creates a fair bit of trouble for Andersen. The Dane just about sees it out of play, amid a tumble and a fumble.

65 mins: Time is ticking away for Fulham now and there’s not a great deal of urgency about their play either. A goal now would change everything but it’s hard to see where it’ll come from.

63 mins: Lukic with a poor ball up and beyond Muniz. The Brazilian hasn’t had the best service this afternoon.

Both Lukic and Pereira are going to be withdrawn. Traore and Smith Rowe are on in their places.

61 mins: Palace are barely getting out of their own half, but at the same time are restricting the home side to minimal opportunities.

58 mins: Berge and Lukic are seeing plenty of it as they probe for a killer ball to unlock Palace. Pereira cannot do that as he puts in a poor cross.

Looks like Silva is about to make a raft of substitutions, too, which would surely be welcomed by this home crowd.

56 mins: Through a combination of Munoz and Sarr, Palace clear and clear and clear again. They’re digging in stubbornly here. You can see why they’re such a potent force away from home.

26,222 inside Craven Cottage today. Pretty much packed to the rafters.

55 mins: Another errant pass, this time from Castagne, kills the Fulham momentum once more. This is frustrating viewing for their fans.

53 mins: Fulham are huffing and puffing but failing to blow the house down at the moment. It’s been a bit stop-start since the interval, which suits Palace down to the ground.

50 mins: There are groans from the home faithful as Castagne aims a pass backwards to his own goalkeeper. They want to see some impetus.

49 mins: There’s a real resilience about Palace under Glasner and they’ve displayed it in spades here. Fulham will put them under some big pressure in this second half though, and they’ve got a corner to defend, which Willian will take.

46 mins: Muniz turns Richards and then has his legs taken from under him. Fulham trying to make a fast start to the second half.

The American centre-back is rightly booked.

OUCH: Chris Richards (R) is booked for this foul on Fulham’s Brazilian Rodrigo Muniz. Photograph: Henry Nicholls/AFP/Getty Images

Second half: We’re back under way.

Fulham are out very, very early for the second half. I can’t imagine the words exchanged in the home dressing room were particularly cordial. Time to restart.

Here’s some half-time reading on the team most still consider favourites to lift the FA Cup. Can the cup save Pep Guardiola this season?

Time for me to grab a half-time cuppa while you all feast on the highlights of that first half.

Back shortly.

HT: Fulham 0-2 Crystal Palace.

There was a stat doing the rounds a week or two ago that Eberechi Eze had underperformed his xG figure by a greater amount than anyone else in the Premier League. Well, there’s been nothing about his performance today so far that hasn’t delivered. He’s been magical.

The England international has scored one and set one up and Palace have a 2-0 lead that, frankly, seemed impossible after about half an hour of this game. Fulham’s dominance has dissipated and they face a tall order to get back in the cup tie now.

Advantage south London.

Hugh is in the house. Photograph: John Walton/PA

We’re into first half added time as Palace line up another free-kick. Lacroix meets it but heads straight at Leno.

44 mins: Wharton’s name is now being sung by the Palace fans after a neat piece of play in midfield, which sets up the visitors to go on the attack again.

You do wonder if the ex-Blackburn man might have been sent off for that incident with Muniz – and how different this game might be now, had that happened.

41 mins: Where do Fulham go from here? They probably need the break and a few words of wisdom from Marco Silva.

39 mins: Fulham looked a bit shellshocked after conceding and Palace smelled blood. The home fans are stunned into silence, they cannot believe their team are two down.

Bang, bang, it’s Palace again. Utterly clinical from the visitors and this one has been set up by Eze.

Ismaïla Sarr heads home their second goal . Photograph: Henry Nicholls/AFP/Getty Images

And jump in the air, as though you just don’t care…. Photograph: Andrew Kearns/CameraSport/Getty Images

Ismaïla Sarr got himself in front of Bassey and guided a clever near-post header into the net. Wow.

36 mins: This is a huge test for Fulham now. They’ve clearly been the better side in this game but failed to create anything clearcut … now they must respond and fast.

Quality from Ebere Eze!

He scored his first England goal in the week and now, after Fulham’s defenders back off him, the Palace playmaker curls in an absolute pearler to break the deadlock in this key FA Cup tie – and it’s against the run of play really.