Football writer Alex Keble analyses Saturday's FA Cup quarter-final ties.
Fulham 0-3 Crystal Palace
Eze’s brilliance could take Palace all the way
For half an hour he didn't do a lot, drifting on the periphery of the match and crowded out by a Fulham midfield beginning to take control of the first FA Cup quarter-final of the weekend.
Then he burst into life.
One five-minute blitz later, Eberechi Eze had taken the tie away from the hosts – and taken Crystal Palace to their second FA Cup semi-final in four years.
Eze’s goal - a brilliant curled effort from outside the box - broke open a cagey match at Craven Cottage. His assist for the second four minutes later was arguably even better, the dribble and cross encapsulating what England head coach Thomas Tuchel has seen in him.
The Palace attacker proved, yet again, that he is a difference-maker; an urgent, aggressive forward with an end product. He now has 10 assists in all competitions this season, his most ever in a Palace shirt.
And of course it caps a brilliant week for Eze personally, following his goal for England against Latvia on Monday.
On that evidence – and after today – supporters will rightly believe they have a star player capable of driving Palace all the way to their first major trophy.
"We're confident in ourselves and we know what we can do, we know what we are capable of,” Eze told ITV after the game. “It's games like today where you show the mentality which will get you further in the tournament."
Fulham’s inability to break Palace down highlights their lack of forward options
Marco Silva may well regret not starting Adama Traore, because without him Fulham lack pace and directness in the forward line.
That is why Palace’s well-drilled 5-4-1 was able to sit back, absorb pressure, and watch Fulham pass the ball harmlessly in front of them.
It was a similar approach by Silva to the 2-0 defeat to Palace in the Premier League last month, although in his defence, on that occasion he started Emile Smith Rowe and Traore with neither player affecting the game.
That explains why they were benched today. But it was a decision that didn't work.
Fulham’s lack of movement in the final third was in stark contrast to the energy and off-the-ball movement we saw from Eze, Ismaila Sarr, and Eddie Nketiah, all of whom got on the score sheet.
It’s a weakness that makes Fulham arguably the least likely of the top-half teams to qualify for Europe this season.
See: Fulham report | Crystal Palace report
Brighton & Hove Albion 0-0 Nottingham Forest (Forest win 4-3 on penalties)
Forest’s incredible season rewarded with a trip to Wembley
Nottingham Forest have reached the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time since 1990/91, and considering the brilliant domestic season they’ve had it’s a deserved trip to Wembley Stadium, despite needing three penalty shootouts to get there.
Forest have only "won" one FA Cup game this season, against Championship side Luton Town, having drawn their other three matches.
That suggests more than their fair share of luck - but few would begrudge them that.
And luck, in all honesty, is what won a shootout containing three missed penalties and two Forest strikes that Bart Verbruggen should have kept out.
“I was a bit nervous to be fair,” captain Ryan Yates said of his match-winning spot-kick. “So I was relieved it went in.”
Relief will give way to elation in time, not least because a first FA Cup semi-final in 34 years can only help Forest’s confidence as they look to secure UEFA Champions League football next season.
“We are so happy, so so happy,” head coach Nuno Espirito Santo said.
“Now we have to focus on the Premier League, but it’s going to be a beautiful moment for all of us [going to Wembley Stadium], for our journey.
“Let’s focus on the Premier League now, but definitely it’s been a remarkable season.”
Brighton wait too long to go for it
As extra-time progressed in a cautious and nervy FA Cup quarter-final at the Amex Stadium, the painful lesson for Brighton & Hove Albion was that – against penalty shootout specialists – they waited too long to hit the accelerator.
This match wasn’t a classic, and yet we did get an exciting second half of extra-time when Brighton (at last) went for broke, perhaps realising that penalties favoured the side that had already won a shootout in the fourth and fifth round of this competition.
Brighton were at their sharpest and most attacking in those final minutes but they just couldn’t force the ball over the line.
Fabian Hurzeler will no doubt see it as a missed opportunity.
Scarred by a 7-0 defeat to Forest earlier in the season, the Brighton head coach was likely worried about falling into the same trap and leaving his team open to Nuno’s counters.
But given that Forest started without the injured Chris Wood, and without Anthony Elanga or Callum Hudson-Odoi until the second half, the hosts could have taken more risks to win the game prior to extra-time.
Hindsight is 20-20, but Hurzeler may well regret that decision.
See: Brighton report | Forest report
Extra-time, and intercontinental travel, could affect midweek Premier League matches
Looking forward to the resumption of the Premier League in midweek, neither Brighton nor Forest will have wanted this tie to go to extra time.
Ten players who took part in this match travelled outside of Europe on international duty.
Eight of those 10 played for Brighton, so they will likely be the more jaded of the two, although they also have an extra day to recover. Both sides now face an uphill battle in the next few days.
Forest play Manchester United on Tuesday evening knowing a leggy performance and defeat could leave them just four points above Newcastle United in sixth, while Brighton host Aston Villa, one of their main rivals in the race for Europe.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
33 | +18 | 59 |
| 4 |
Man City
MCI
|
33 | +22 | 58 |
| 5 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
33 | +18 | 57 |
| 6 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
32 | +13 | 57 |
| 7 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
33 | +6 | 57 |
| 8 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
33 | +12 | 49 |
| 9 |
Fulham
FUL
|
33 | +3 | 48 |
| 10 |
Brighton
BHA
|
33 | 0 | 48 |
It’s far from the headline here, but in a game that saw so little action for the neutral, there were at least fans of two clubs - Man Utd and Villa – who were happy to see this one go the distance.
When is the semi-final draw and which Premier League fixtures are now postponed?
The draw will take place on Sunday 30 March following the conclusion of the match between Preston North End and Villa, which kicks off at 13:30 BST.
Forest and Palace's semi-final will be played at Wembley Stadium on the weekend of 26-27 April, on the same weekend as Matchweek 34 of the Premier League.
This will mean Palace's league match at Arsenal and Forest's home encounter against Brentford, previously scheduled for Saturday 26 April, will have to be moved to a new date.
Which other Premier League clubs are in quarter-final action?
Sunday 30 March
13:30 Preston North End v Aston Villa
16:30 AFC Bournemouth v Manchester City
