Eddie Nketiah's first-half goal secured Crystal Palace a 1-0 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage, booking their place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals and easing the pressure on manager Pierre Sage.
Despite the win, there was little to convince travelling fans that a corner has been turned in their team's torrid start to the season. Palace, who sit 17th in the Premier League, were largely outplayed by a Fulham side that dominated possession and created numerous chances.
Fulham Dominate but Fail to Score
Fulham's inability to score was remarkable. Early on, Kenny Tete was left free at the far post at a corner but headed into the side-netting, while Dean Henderson saved Palace after Antonee Robinson was given space to shoot. Joachim Andersen ought to have scored against his old club but sent an unchallenged header over the bar from inside the six-yard box.
The visitors were poor throughout the first half, with Cheick Doucoure summing up their struggles with an awful pass to no one that rolled away for a throw-in. Fulham appeared to be coasting towards half-time when the first piece of quality from Palace caught them cold.
Nketiah Strikes Against the Run of Play
A lovely cross from the right by Oscar Mingueza saw Nketiah manoeuvre himself across Andersen and expertly turn the ball wide of Benjamin Lecomte into the corner. Supporters in the away end sang their under-fire boss's name late in the first half with their team a goal up.
From then on it was a matter of attack versus defence, with Palace at times doing little more than stand and watch Fulham play through them. Henderson somehow kept out Alex Iwobi from virtually on the goal-line as Palace made yet another botched attempt to clear a corner.
Palace Hold On for Quarter-Final Spot
A rare foray forward saw Daichi Kamada poke a shot wide from Tyrick Mitchell's cut-back, while Gonzalo Garcia put another free header straight at Henderson in stoppage time. In the end, Fulham simply ran out of time as Sage's team squeaked through.
Two wins in their last two games have relieved the pressure on Fulham and hauled them up the Premier League table, but Sage, whose Palace team have sunk to 17th, now looks to be the manager in peril. It remains to be seen whether he will be in charge to lead his team in the next round.
