Premier League - Sunday 07th December 2025, 4:30 PM
Fulham1
(1)
-
(1)
2
C. Palace
Attendance: 27283
Referee: Samuel Barrott (West Riding)
Match events
20
Nketiah
Wilson
38
65
Lerma
65
Nketiah
66
Uche
66
Mateta
Kevin
68
Smith Rowe
68
King
76
Chukwueze
76
Lukic
76
Berge
76
77
Canvot
77
Clyne
87
Guéhi
Cairney
88
Wilson
88
Traore
89
Iwobi
89
92
Devenny
92
Pino
Match review
Match Report
Fulham (1) 1-2 (1) Crystal Palace
Premier League Match Day 15 25/26 at Craven Cottage
Sunday 7th December 2025 KO: 16:30
Referee:
Samuel Barrott (West Riding)
Live on SkySports
|
A late Marc Guehi header meant Fulham were left empty handed, despite a spirited display, for the second time in a week at Craven Cottage.
After trailing to Eddie Nketiah’s smart finish, we restored parity through a glorious Harry Wilson strike, and then took the majority of the remainder of the game to Crystal Palace.
In a second half that was more conservative than the first, Emile Smith Rowe had a goal ruled out by VAR for the tightest of offsides.
That led to a finale which could have seen it go either way, and unfortunately it was the Eagles who snatched the points when their captain powered home from an 87th minute corner.
Marco Silva made two changes to the side that started our remarkable nine-goal battle with Manchester City in the week. Samuel Chukwueze’s brace from the bench in that earned him a place from the off, at the expense of Saša Lukic, while a hamstring strain for Ryan Sessegnon saw him replaced by Timothy Castagne.
| Match Stats |
Fulham |
Crystal Palace |
| Goals |
(1) 1 |
2 (1) |
|
| Scorers |
Wilson 38 |
Nketiah 20 |
|
- |
Guéhi 87 |
| , |
| Goal attempts |
12 |
11 |
| On target |
4 |
5 |
| Shooting Accuracy |
33% |
45% |
| Possession |
63% |
37% |
| Passes |
623 |
363 |
| Passes Success |
86% |
82% |
| Crosses |
19 |
13 |
| Crosses Success |
37% |
23% |
| Corners |
6 |
4 |
| Tackles |
6 |
14 |
| Tackles Success |
55% |
70% |
| Saves |
3 |
3 |
| Fouls |
5 |
8 |
| Offsides |
4 |
2 |
| Yellows |
0 |
0 |
| Reds |
0 |
0 |
| source: SkySports |
Fulham threatened early on through with a couple of Alex Iwobi corners. Jean-Philippe Mateta headed the first marginally over his own bar, with the subsequent one finding Smith Rowe whose snapshot volley was also deflected just off target.
The first Palace sighter arrived 17 minutes in, but Mateta’s angled effort was routine for Bernd Leno.
That proved to be a just a warning, though, as Nketiah drilled them in front moments later, finding the bottom corner after working space in the box upon collecting Adam Wharton’s pass.
Smith Rowe almost provided the perfect response when he took Sander Berge’s pass in his stride, but Dean Henderson made a wonderful save, raising a strong wrist to divert the Fulham man’s piledriver over the bar.
The England goalkeeper was quickly called into action again, but his denial of Iwobi’s low strike was much simpler.
It took a moment of pure class to beat Henderson, something that Wilson thankfully has in abundance. His flick to Raúl was great, his outside of the boot finish after receiving the one-two absolutely exquisite, curling away from the Palace stopper and inside the far post. Gorgeous.
The Whites began the second half in the ascendancy, with Tete rifling a left footer over having skipped beyond Guehi, but Palace then fashioned a clearer opening of their own as Mateta got beyond the last line of defence, only to drag his shot.
VAR then denied Fulham the lead. Smith Rowe converted after Iwobi’s header from a beautiful Chukwueze cross had come back off the post, only for a Chuka toe to have been offside in the build-up.
Good play down the left from Castagne ended with him scooping a ball inside to Chukwueze, who caught his dipping volley sweetly but couldn’t bend it on target.
A host of substitutions from both sides had softened the tempo of what had been a very entertaining watch, but one of those new arrivals came close in the 83rd minute, only for Kevin’s header from Tete’s centre to sail over.
Wilson then rifled one into the midriff of Henderson from 22 yards, as Fulham looked to finish strong.
Tyrick Mitchell at left wing-back had been a useful outlet for the visitors, and his brilliant cross presented a golden opportunity for Christantus Uche, but Leno smothered bravely to keep the scores level.
The subsequent corner brought another hairy moment as their training ground routine was worked cleverly to Yeremy Pino, but he was denied by a big Bassey block.
Sadly, there was no such reprieve from the next corner, with Guehi rising highest to power home Pino’s delivery and secure a smash and grab for his side.
Fulham manager Marco Silva
"Disappointing the result. We didn't deserve this result, definitely. We knew that it was going to be tough. A team that will come here to not try to take the control, but to try to come and to block ourselves every single time, to be deep and to try to organise them in 5-4-1 every single time.
"What we should have done different was to move quicker the ball. And our possession in the back was too slow.
"Even so, it's a game that we should try to win until the end. But we cannot concede a goal the way we did it because then we lost the game."
On the disallowed goal: "Of course, again, the goal was disallowed. Probably the [toe] nail of Chukwueze is too big for the sport that we are playing. Now, another decision from the VAR against ourselves."
Fulham: Leno, Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Castagne, Berge (Lukic 76), Iwobi (Traore 89), Wilson (Cairney 88), Smith Rowe (Kevin 68), Chukwueze (King 76), Jimenez
Unused substitutes: Cuenca, Kusi-Asare, Kevin, Lecomte, Diop
Goals:
Wilson 38 (THAT IS ONE OF THE GOALS OF THE SEASON!
Sensational equaliser as Iwobi feds Wilson on the edge of the area and his gorgeous flick picks out Jimenez, who then plays a neat one-two with the Welshman.
However, the forward still had a lot to do to beat Henderson with an audacious flicked finish with the outside of his foot into the far lefthand corner for his fourth of the season.)
Crystal Palace: Henderson, Richards, Lacroix, Guehi, Clyne (Canvot 77), Wharton, Kamada, Mitchell, Nketiah (Lerma 65), Pino (Devenny 92), Mateta (Uche 66)
Unused substitutes: Hughes, Esse, Sosa, Matthews, Benítez
Goals:
Nketiah 20 (Palace lead after a lovely team goal carves open the Eagles.
Wharton, who started the move with a gorgeous pass to Mitchel down the left, then picks out Nketiah's run in the box - did the England midfielder mean it? Who cares!
And the striker, in space, finds the bottom righthand corner with a low drive on what is his first league start since April.)
Guehi 87 (The skipper wins it for Palace!
The corner comes in from the left and Guehi gets up above Andersen and King to head home at the near post and the Eagles are heading fourth in the table.)
Referee:
Samuel Barrott (West Riding)
Attendance: 27,283
Fulham are next in action at 17.30 next Saturday, 13th December, when they visit Burnley in the Premier League at the Turf Moor Stadium