Match Report Fulham (0) 1-2 (1) Crystal Palace Premier League Match Day 06 2021 at Craven Cottage Saturday 24th October 2020 ~ KO: 15.00 Referee: Graham Scott (Oxfordshire) Live on BT Sport Box Office

Fulham midfielder Tom Cairney

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When Crystal Palace opened the scoring, the statistics said they’d had five per cent of the ball. That summed up this sorry afternoon for Fulham, who were all possession and no penetration.

That might well sum up their season, too, if they go on to suffer relegation under Scott Parker. This defeat prolonged a rotten start which has left them bottom of the Premier League.

Parker really has to show he knows how to change the game, because this one passed his side by. They produced pass after pass at Craven Cottage, but to very little avail.

The scoreline suggests it was close, but only a Tom Cairney thunderbolt from 30 yards deep into stoppage time made it seem so. In reality, Fulham rarely looked like getting something out of this.

Parker has now endured five defeats and a draw since being promoted from the Championship. Roy Hodgson, meanwhile, is quite happy to continue picking up points the way he knows how.

It doesn’t matter if you see very little of the ball as long as you do something with it when you get the chance, and that was what Palace did here.

Jairo Riedewald had never even managed a shot on target in the Premier League but in his 33rd game, he opened the scoring after eight minutes. Wilfried Zaha doubled their advantage in the second half, taking his tally to five goals this season.

Match Stats	Fulham	Crystal Palace
Goals	(0) 1	2 (1)
Scorers	Cairney 90+5	Riedewald 8
		Zaha 64
,
Goal attempts	16	14
On target	3	10
Shooting Accuracy	19%	71%
Possession	66%	34%
Passes	612	331
Passes Success	89%	79%
Crosses	29	7
Crosses Success	31%	14%
Corners	4	4
Tackles	19	22
Tackles Success	37%	59%
Saves	8	2
Fouls	11	11
Offsides	1	2
Yellows	0	1
Reds	1	0
source: SkySports

Zaha was forever a threat on the counter-attack, and it was his reverse pass behind Fulham’s static back line that saw Riedewald smack a left-footed shot beyond Alphonse Areola.

One slick move from Fulham almost resulted in an equaliser as Ademola Lookman received the ball from the left wing then smashed a shot off the inside of the far post.

It rebounded to Aleksandar Mitrovic, who had the entire goal at his mercy. Instead, he found the empty stand. The Fulham striker claimed it came off a Palace foot, but no corner was awarded to spare his blushes. It should have been 1-1.

By now, half hour had been played, and Palace had upped their possession to 25 per cent.

They were still having the better chances and with the final kick of the half, Luka Milivojevic swung a free-kick narrowing over the crossbar.

On the eve of this match, Hodgson described his two-and-a-half years as Fulham manager as a ‘magical’ time. From their great escape in 2007-08, to their highest-ever league finish in 2008-09, to competing in the Europa League final in 2009-10.

He was working some of that same ‘magic’ here. Palace’s style of play may not be the easiest on the eye but it gets them into positions to pick up points.

In the 55th minute, Zaha dashed in behind the Fulham back line. With a cross-cum-shot, he smacked the ball through the six-yard box, and it trickled out for a throw-in.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek, on loan at Fulham from Chelsea, and someone who previously spent time with Palace, had been quiet, operating in that hole behind Mitrovic. Parker’s side were still dominating possession, but they were being limited to shots from distance.

After 63 minutes, Andros Townsend played a clever ball through to Michy Batshuayi. The striker drilled a low ball towards the back post, where Zaha was waiting. The 27-year-old slid in to score, hurting himself by colliding with the woodwork at the same time.

Palace were two goals to the good, and it could have been three had Tyrick Mitchell’s shot from close range not been blocked. Fulham were shell-shocked, unsure what to do.

In the final few minutes, VAR recommended referee Graham Scott visit his monitor to review a possible red card. After several replays, he sent off substitute Aboubakar Kamara, for raking his studs down the back of Eberechi Eze’s leg.

There was a slight twist in the tail, as Tom Cairney thundered a 30-yard shot into the top left corner. It was a scorcher, and a shoo-in for Fulham’s goal of the month competition.

But it was not enough for a full-blown comeback. Another defeat for Parker who, on a cold afternoon by the River Thames, is very much feeling the heat.

Fulham: Areola, Aina, Adarabioyo, Ream, Robinson, Lemina (Reed 79), Anguissa (Kamara 66), Cairney, Loftus-Cheek (Reid 74), Lookman,  Mitrovic.

Unused substitutes: Rodak, Odoi, Le Marchand, Bryan,

Goals:
Cairney 90+5 (left footed shot from outside the box to the top left corner. Assisted by Harrison Reed.)

Sent Off: Kamara (88,f),

Crystal Palace: Guaita, Clyne, (Van Aanholt 72), Dann, Kouyate, Mitchell, Townsend, Milivojevic, Riedewald (Sakho 85), Schlupp (Eze 76), Batshuayi, Zaha.

Unused substitutes: Henderson, Meyer, Benteke, Kelly

Goals:
Riedewald 8 (left footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Wilfried Zaha with a through ball.)
Zaha 64 (left footed shot from very close range to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Michy Batshuayi.)

Booked: Guaita (90+7,tw),

Referee: Graham Scott (Oxfordshire)

Attendance: 0