Palace up to fourth as they edge out Fulham in another one for the visitors in the 'away win derby'
- By Yann Tear at Craven Cottage
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
Premier League
Fulham (1) 1 Wilson 38
Crystal Palace (1) 2 Nketiah 20, Guehi 87
The fixture that refuses to end in home wins once again saw the away side make off with the spoils.
For the 10th head-to-head running, it was visitors who enjoyed the better of it when games have not ended in draws.
The Eagles scored a cracking opener through Eddie Nketiah and were pegged back by an even more outstanding goal from Harry Wilson. But Marc Guehi's late header settled the outcome to lift Palace up to fourth in the table.
It means the wait for a home win goes on for Fulham when it comes to clashes with Palace. It's now 20 years since they beat them at the Cottage.
The Whites looked eager to recreate their goalscoring feats from the crazy midweek Man City game and early pressing brought a corner, with Emile Smith Rowe seeing his deflected volley whistle just wide.
But the Eagles came up with the first really slick move and it got them in front. Guehi nipped a pass in to Adam Wharton and the midfielder's silky-smooth ball invited Nketiah to advance to the edge of the box and rifle a low shot past Bernd Leno.
It was the ex-Arsenal man's first league goal since the 90th minute winner against Liverpool in September.
It could easily have been all square not long after when Smith Rowe latched onto a pass from Sander Berge with what looked like a perfect strike - only for Dean Henderson to make an excellent one-handed reflex save. Alex Iwobi also blasted at the keeper from just outside the area.
The goal they had been threatened came through the sheer brilliance of Harry Wilson, who flicked Iwobi's pass to Raul Jimenez and from the return ball, executed a delightful first-time chip with the outside of his left boot which sailed above and beyond Henderson.
There was a spring in the step now. Smith Rowe looked as though he had put the Whites ahead when an Iwobi header crashed back off a post for him but his pass to Samuel Chukwueze in the build-up was flagged up as offside by millimetres, according to VAR.
It seemed a tough one to call in terms of predicting a winner, but the Eagles grew in stature rather than fade, as they had noticeably done in their last home fixture against Man United.
Nathaniel Clyne came close before the break. A low Tyrick Mitchell cross almost opened up the Whites twice - on the second occasion, sub Chris Uche almost put it away, but Leno came out to block.
Then, moments after Yeremy Pino had almost poked home at the far post, he curled in a corner which Marc Guehi headed in from three yards. It proved to be enough to settle it.
Whites: (4-2-3-1) Leno - Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Castagne - Berge (Lukic 76), Iwobi (Traore 89) - Wilson (Cairney 89), Smith Rowe (Kevin 68), Chukwueze (King 76) - Jimenez
Eagles: (3-4-2-1) Henderson - Richards, Lacroix, Guehi - Clyne (Canvot 77), Wharton, Kamada, Mitchell - Nketiah (Lerma 65), Pino (Devenney 92) - Mateta (Uche 65)
Attendance: 27,283
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