Match Report
Crystal Palace (1) 1-1 (0) Fulham
Premier League Match Day 19 25-26 at Selhurst Park
Thursday 1st January 2026, KO: 17:30
Referee:
Tony Harrington (Cleveland)
Live on Sky Sports Premier League
|
Fulham came from behind to draw 1-1 at Crystal Palace on New Year’s Day.
A slow start to the game was punctuated by Jean-Philippe Mateta’s header, as the Eagles took full advantage of our temporary reduction to 10 men following a head injury sustained by Jorge Cuenca.
But Tom Cairney stepped off the bench to curl in a trademark TC effort to restore parity with 10 minutes to play.
The Whites were not content with the draw, though, and should have won it through either Timothy Castagne or Joachim Andersen in stoppage time. Nonetheless, the unbeaten run extends to a fourth match.
For the third Premier League game in a row, Marco Silva named an unchanged XI. The only alteration to the bench saw Josh King miss out, with fellow Academy product Samuel Amissah drafted in to replace him.
The first 20 minutes passed without either side attempting a shot. Fulham had enjoyed the lion’s share of possession, but it was Bernd Leno who was first seriously called into action when he was forced to tip Maxence Lacroix’s dinked cross over his own bar.
We burst into action in the next passage of play, though. Good combination work down the left between Emile Smith Rowe and Kevin fashioned a chance for Harry Wilson in the box. His rising half volley was beaten away by Dean Henderson, with Raúl Jiménez sending the rebound wide.
| Match Stats |
Crystal Palace |
Fulham |
| Goals |
(1)1 |
1 (0) |
|
| Scorers |
Mateta 39 |
Cairney 80 |
| , |
| Goal attempts |
11 |
17 |
| On target |
2 |
5 |
| Shooting Accuracy |
18% |
29% |
| Possession |
40% |
60% |
| Passes |
384 |
582 |
| Passes Success |
77% |
86% |
| Crosses |
12 |
19 |
| Crosses Success |
8% |
37% |
| Corners |
6 |
3 |
| Tackles |
9 |
10 |
| Tackles Success |
64% |
63% |
| Saves |
4 |
1 |
| Fouls |
7 |
10 |
| Offsides |
5 |
1 |
| Yellows |
0 |
5 |
| Reds |
0 |
0 |
| source: SkySports |
At the other end, Marc Guehi was denied by Leno from point blank range in the six yard box, with Yeremy Pino curling the loose ball wide.
The game was opening up as the half progressed, and after Saša Lukic’s 20 yarder was blocked and fell for Kenny Tete, he was unfortunate to see him dipping volley just fly the wrong side of the crossbar.
Mateta headed his team in front six minutes from the break. With Fulham a centre-back light as Cuenca had to remain off the pitch after going down with a head injury, the home side capitalised mercilessly when Nathaniel Clyne beat Robinson before bending a fine cross on the head of Mateta who had space to nod beyond Leno.
The Eagles ended the half strongly after edging in front, with Clyne sending a volley into the ground and marginally wide, and Will Hughes drilling a snapshot in the same direction, though this one wasn’t as much of a threat to Leno’s goal.
But it was the Whites who had the final chances of the half, Henderson beating Kevin’s wicked curler straight to Wilson, whose follow-up was blocked by Lacroix.
Raúl came agonisingly close to an equaliser with our first chance of the second half, sending Robinson’s 58th minute delivery into the ground and back across goal. Henderson was beaten but it clipped the post and was cleared.
The Eagles then twice threatened to double their lead at a corner. First, Leno made amends for punching the ball towards towards his own net by backpeddling and tipping it onto the bar, before Lacroix sent the rebound into a teammate on the line.
Kevin had been able to deliver a number of crosses from the left throughout the game, and his latest picked out the far post run of Castagne – on for the injured Tete – who nodded down into the clutches of Henderson.
Cairney was another who’d been introduced, and his telling impact came with 10 minutes remaining, bending home a gorgeous strike beyond the reach of Henderson from inside the D, following patient build-up from Robinson and Lukic.
Fulham were the side who were more motivated to find a winner thereafter, and only a stunning save from Henderson denied Castagne a stoppage time winner as he looked to pick out the top corner.
There was still time for the Whites to threaten another late winner, but Andersen instinctively blasted over when the ball dropped to him at a corner, meaning we had to settle for a point on the road.
Fulham boss Marco Silva to Sky Sports:
"The disappointment is because we felt that we deserved more because we played better and were the team that created more.
"We conceded a goal in the moment that we were controlling the game - A moment that we should not have been playing with ten men.
"We cannot keep taking players from the pitch because they go down. If you feel some moments, because the game is so physical, a hand in your face, it is normal you go down. You complain about your face, but it's not a head injury.
"Something serious or careful, you cannot keep putting ten men every single. There's not a reason for us to have ten men and the referees have to see that.
"It's not just about us. We are seeing much more and it's not a reason for that at all. Teams should be playing 11 vs 11… If it's serious, I agree definitely about these moments, but there's not a reason for us to be with ten.
"Of course, we should be more mature in that moment to control well that situation after the throw-in. We lost a duel and then they score from that moment.
"It's not the rule that should change. I think the referees should manage the game in a completely different way.
"The team reacted well. It [the goal] boosted the confidence of Crystal Palace and afterwards, they had some dangerous moments. The reaction in the second half was good, even before the goal… Tom Cairney had a massive impact as well.
"Overall, the players deserved much more from the game in terms of points, but the reaction, the attitude, the commitment, the ambition to push for a further result was good from us."
Crystal Palace : Henderson, Lerma, Lacroix, Guehi, Clyne (Sosa 92), Wharton, Hughes (Canvot 57), Mitchell, Devenny (Esse 82), Pino (Uche 82), Mateta
Unused substitutes: Rodney, Benitez, Benamar, Casey, Drakes-Thomas
Goals:
Jean-Philippe Mateta 39 (header from very close range to the top right corner. Assisted by Nathaniel Clyne with a cross.)
Fulham: Leno, Tete (Castagne 51), Andersen, Cuenca, Robinson, Lukic, Berge (Cairney 68), Wilson (Traore 85), Smith Rowe, Kevin (Reed 85), Jimenez
Unused substitutes: Kusi-Asare, Lecomte, Diop, Amissah, Ridgeon
Goals:
Cairney 80 (Call it the commentators curse! You're welcome, Fulham.
It's such a lovely finish from Cairney, and there's a cuddle in the aftermath for Lukic, who had the vision to set him up.)
Yellow Card: Cuenca (19,f), Andersen (46), Smith Rowe (60,f), Cairney (81,exc cel), Castagne (88f)
Referee:
Tony Harrington (Cleveland)
Attendance: 0
Fulham are next in action at 15:00 Sunday 4th January 2026 when they welcome Liverpool to Craven Cottage.