Nketiah goal sends Crystal Palace past Fulham into Carabao Cup quarter-finals

Crystal Palace reached the Carabao Cup quarter-finals with a 1-0 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage on Wednesday. Eddie Nketiah supplied the decisive finish in the 37th minute, with Sky Sports reporting that the visitors scored from their first attempt of the match.

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Pierre Sage selected Nketiah at the head of an attack also featuring Evann Guessand and Darío Osorio. The confirmed teams included Cheick Doucouré and Will Hughes in Palace’s midfield, with Dean Henderson captaining the side in goal. Fulham started Rodrigo Muniz up front, while Gonzalo García was among the substitutes available to Álvaro Arbeloa. Benjamin Lecomte was the home side’s goalkeeper.

Fulham had created opportunities before falling behind. Kenny Tete failed to convert a header and Antonee Robinson was denied by Henderson. Palace then found the breakthrough when Óscar Mingueza advanced on the right and delivered the cross that Nketiah turned into the net.

Henderson’s work was not finished. García threatened an equaliser with a stoppage-time header, but the goalkeeper pushed it away. Palace had earlier missed a chance to extend their advantage when Daichi Kamada shot wide in the 87th minute, leaving the tie unresolved until the closing stages.

The defeat followed consecutive league victories for Fulham. They had beaten Hull City 1-0 before winning by the same margin at Coventry City on Saturday. Fulham’s report of that game credited Oscar Bobb with the decisive goal in the 80th minute. Their cup campaign had included a 3-2 victory away to West Ham in the previous round.

Palace’s recent schedule had also taken them to Istanbul, where they drew 2-2 with Besiktas in the Europa League on October 22. According to the club’s report, goals from Yéremy Pino and Jean-Philippe Mateta overturned a half-time deficit before Junior Olaïtan equalised. Nketiah appeared late in that match after replacing Jørgen Strand Larsen. Six days later, his contribution came as a starter, with a goal that secured Palace’s progress in the domestic cup.