Eberechi Eze was the game-changer as Crystal Palace secured a dominant 3-0 victory over Fulham, sealing their place in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley.
The Palace playmaker, recently named in England manager Thomas Tuchel’s first squad, opened the scoring with a stunning strike before setting up Ismaila Sarr for the second. Eddie Nketiah came off the bench to add a third, extending Palace’s winning streak to five games across all competitions.
Jean-Philippe Mateta returned to the starting lineup, wearing protective headgear after an ear injury in Palace’s fifth-round win over Millwall. Meanwhile, Fulham boss Marco Silva started Rodrigo Muniz over Raul Jimenez, with the Brazilian nearly making an immediate impact with a close effort in the opening minutes.
Veteran winger Willian was a key figure in Fulham’s attack, linking up with left-back Antonee Robinson, whose surging run led to an early booking for Adam Wharton. Despite a nervy moment when Wharton avoided a second yellow for a foul on Muniz, Palace soon took control.
A long-range effort from Jefferson Lerma rattled the crossbar in the 26th minute, signaling Palace’s growing threat. Eight minutes later, Eze produced a moment of magic, cutting inside and curling a brilliant strike into the far right corner.
Just four minutes later, he was at it again, delivering a pinpoint cross for Sarr, who rose above his marker to head past Bernd Leno and double Palace’s lead.
This is Ebere Eze.#CPFC pic.twitter.com/7GduHQqSVZ
— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) March 29, 2025
Fulham pushed after halftime, with Emile Smith Rowe and Adama Traore coming off the bench, but Palace’s defense stood firm. The hosts nearly pulled one back when Calvin Bassey was denied by a crucial clearance from Sarr.
Nketiah put the game to bed in the 75th minute, using his pace to break through before nutmegging Leno for Palace’s third.
Palace now prepares for their first trip to Wembley since their FA Cup semi-final defeat to Chelsea in 2022.
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