Crystal Palace produced a fine display to beat Fulham 2-0 at Craven Cottage and claim a record-breaking fourth Premier League away win in a row.
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Oliver Glasner's side scored a goal in each half to win a match they were in control of throughout, with their only possible regret being that the margin of victory was not bigger.
After Eberechi Eze went close, Palace broke the deadlock via an own goal from their former defender Joachim Andersen, who headed a corner into his own net on 37 minutes.
The referee ruled out a Jean-Philippe Mateta strike for offside following a VAR review shortly after half-time. But Daniel Munoz soon doubled his side's lead, finishing off a scintillating counter-attack midway through the second half.
Fulham were never in the game and drop to ninth, while Palace move 16 points clear of the bottom three in 13th.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
26 | +14 | 43 |
| 6 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
26 | +12 | 43 |
| 7 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
27 | -2 | 42 |
| 8 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
25 | +9 | 41 |
| 9 |
Brighton
BHA
|
26 | +4 | 40 |
How the match unfolded
After a cagey start, the visitors quickly made themselves at home.
Eze was at the heart of their efforts and he stung the palms of Bernd Leno with two strikes from distance, before a delightful turn inside the box produced a close-range effort that was blocked.
When the goal did eventually come it was via a much more unorthodox source, Will Hughes' corner spinning on to the head of Andersen, who diverted the ball past Leno.
Mateta thought he'd doubled his side's lead 10 minutes after the break when slamming home a sumptuous Eze backheel but the goal was disallowed for a marginal offside.
Palace went close again on the hour when another Hughes corner caused chaos, Maxence Lacroix heading straight at Leno from point-blank range.
Soon enough, though, it was 2-0. Mateta produced his best moment of the game to surge forward and play in Munoz, who powered home.
Fulham, who also lost Emile Smith Rowe to an ankle injury, never threatened to get back into it and ended the game well beaten.
Fulham fluff lines
With their efforts to qualify for Europe very much alive after consecutive league wins against Newcastle and Nottingham Forest, Fulham fluffed their lines on an afternoon when another three points were attainable.
Marco Silva's side were too easily put off by decisions going against them in the first half and became rattled as Palace took the upper hand, taking just three shots in the opening 45 minutes.
Things didn't get much better after the break. Smith Rowe and substitute Tom Cairney both hobbled off injured, while Alex Iwobi was kept quiet as the hosts created virtually nothing against their resilient visitors.
Even Willian, making his return to Fulham after leaving in the summer, couldn't muster any inspiration from the bench.
Having seemingly put a rough patch behind them, it feels like one step forward and another back for Silva, whose side must quickly improve to stay in the hunt for Europe. They travel to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Tuesday next.
Hughes and Eze pull the strings
Plenty of credit must go to Palace for turning this into a surprisingly one-sided game.
Hughes has increasingly impressed as this season has progressed and was excellent at the base of midfield, breaking up play and getting his team ticking.
Showing a combination of physicality and class, Hughes protected with aplomb a back line who had virtually nothing to do all afternoon.
He also teamed up nicely with Eze, who looked back to his best further up the pitch.
The England winger has missed Palace's last three matches and it was no surprise his team improved upon his return, with his twinkle toes lighting up Craven Cottage, particularly in the first half.
He was also denied what would have been a memorable assist when Mateta was fractionally offside from his backheel, but it mattered not as his side comfortably saw out an impressive win.
Palace now have a huge cushion over the bottom three and look set to be able to enjoy the run-in to their campaign. Up next for them is Aston Villa at Selhurst Park on Tuesday.
Club reports
Fulham report | Crystal Palace report
What the managers said
Marco Silva: "The first half was balanced. We didn't allow them to press like they usually do. We did it the way we should and the way we wanted. They came up with a different way. We didn't create enough chances."
Oliver Glasner: "All of the credit goes to the players again. They worked so hard for this win and they were very disciplined. We didn't give them clear chances. We were very compacted and waited for the chances. We defended as a team - it was a great performance and result."
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Key facts
Palace have won four consecutive top-flight away games for the first time. It’s also the first time the Eagles have ever won four consecutive away league games without conceding.
Fulham have lost two of their last three Premier League home games (W1), as many as in their first 11 at Craven Cottage this season (W4 D5).
Andersen is the first player to score a Premier League own goal against a side he played for in the competition since Emiliano Martínez (v Arsenal in February 2023), while he’s only the second Fulham player to do so after Aaron Hughes against Aston Villa in February 2008.
No team have kept more away clean sheets in the Premier League this season than Crystal Palace (six, level with Liverpool). Their six clean sheets are their second-most in a single campaign in the competition, after 1994/95 when they had seven.
