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Eberechi Eze inspired Crystal Palace to a commanding 3-0 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday, scoring a stunning goal and providing an assist in the first half to send the Eagles into the FA Cup semi-finals.
Fresh from scoring his first England goal against Latvia on Monday, Eze broke the deadlock with a sensational strike from outside the box before setting up Ismaila Sarr to double Palace’s lead just minutes later. Eddie Nketiah sealed the win with a second-half goal off the bench.
Palace regains form
After a challenging start to the season, Oliver Glasner’s side has transformed into one of England’s in-form teams, surging up the Premier League table to 12th place in recent months. They have now won six consecutive away games, including a 2-0 victory at Craven Cottage last month, and will believe they can go all the way in the FA Cup.
Palace welcomed back Jean-Philippe Mateta, who had been sidelined since suffering an ear injury that required 25 stitches in the previous round against Millwall. However, it was Eze who stole the show with two decisive moments in quick succession.
The 26-year-old playmaker opened the scoring in the 34th minute, curling a sublime effort off the far post. Just minutes later, Eze showcased his creativity by gliding past Sander Berge before delivering a pinpoint left-footed cross, allowing Sarr to head home at the near post.
Fulham’s FA Cup dream ends
Despite sitting four places and six points above Palace in the league, Fulham’s hopes of Wembley were dashed when Nketiah added a third goal 15 minutes from time, calmly slotting past his former Arsenal teammate Bernd Leno after replacing Mateta.
Marco Silva’s men will now turn their focus to securing a top-five finish in the Premier League as they chase a historic Champions League qualification.
