Crystal Palace edged out Fulham in a tight, nervy affair as they sealed a Carabao Cup quarter-final spot.
Eddie Nketiah scored the game’s only goal, eight minutes before half-time, to decide the tie and ease the pressure ever so slightly on beleaguered Palace chief Pierre Sage. However, it’s expected that their impending Premier League game away at Tottenham will have a far larger bearing on the Frenchman’s future.
Nevertheless, this win was much welcomed for Palace who have enjoyed good form in the cup competitions so far this term. Sage rang the changes with ten alterations made and it looked as though that decision would backfire as Fulham dominated the first half.
But they failed to take chance after chance and were made to pay when Nketiah scored against the run of play with a clever finish inside the box.
The Cottagers threatened again after the restart but just could not find a way past a determined Palace backline, including the returning Dean Henderson in goal – playing his first game since early September.
Palace will now host Sunderland in the quarter-finals in December. Winning boss Sage reflected post-match: “We fought better than we played because we didn’t have the ball too much, but sometimes we have to do it like this.
“But we have to keep that up in the Premier League because we did not pick up three points [against Fulham]. Our first final is against Tottenham on Saturday. We are really focused on this. We need points in the Premier League, and we need to be concentrated on this.”
Fulham manager Alvaro Arbeloa said: “It’s a really frustrating night for everyone, for me as a manager, because I know how important this game is for the club, for the supporters, and the most important thing for tonight is that we need to learn as quick as we can.”
