Eddie Nketiah’s first-half goal against the run of play eased some of the growing pressure on Pierre Sage as Palace booked a third consecutive appearance in the quarter-finals of this competition. The good news for Sage is that Arsenal – who beat them on both of those occasions – have already been eliminated. However, he knows that Saturday’s game at Tottenham will have much more bearing on whether he is still around by the time Palace’s Carabao Cup campaign resumes against Sunderland in mid-December.
For Álvaro Arbeloa, this was a disappointing setback after a couple of weeks of progress. Fulham have not beaten Palace at Craven Cottage since January 2005 – a run of 10 matches – and will not get a better chance after Sage made 10 changes, including the inspired return of their captain, Dean Henderson, in goal. His save in stoppage time from Gonzalo García proved crucial and there were boos for Fulham at the final whistle.
Arbeloa will be relieved that at least he does not have to face Palace again this season. Sage left the pitch blowing kisses in the direction of his wife in the stands, but praised the travelling supporters for helping his team get over the line. The connection is better when we fight on the pitch.” Fortunes have contrasted significantly for these two sides since Palace’s 3-2 win here at the start of September.
Successive 1-0 victories against Hull and Coventry in the Premier League took some of the heat off Arbeloa but he was disappointed that a rotated side, which still contained several key players, could not take their chances – an issue becoming a recurring theme under the Spaniard. No doubt with an eye on Saturday’s trip to north London that could define the Frenchman’s future, Chris Richards was the only player to retain his place. There has been talk of a protest before Palace’s next home game against Liverpool over rising ticket prices and what some supporters have described as the club’s strategy “which prioritises tourists instead of regular match-going fans” by playing loud music before kick-off and half-time.
The fans who packed the away section were in full voice throughout, even as their second-string struggled against opponents who were clearly brimming with confidence. Fulham went close twice in the space of 60 seconds when Kenny Tete headed wide from a corner before Henderson – after month on the sidelines – saved well with his feet from Antonee Robinson at the far post. Joachim Andersen should have done better with the next chance from another corner soon after, but the Denmark defender could not hit the target against his former club.
With Cheick Doucouré making his first senior appearance in midfield since January 2025 after a litany of injury problems, Palace looked rusty all over the pitch and did not manage a single touch in Fulham’s box during the first half-hour, amassing just 22% of possession. But they still managed to take the lead when Óscar Mingueza found space down the right flank and delivered an inch-perfect cross for Nketiah to volley in expertly. After all their dominance, Fulham’s supporters could hardly believe their eyes.
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