Eddie Nketiah’s goal sends Crystal Palace into Carabao Cup quarter-finals

Crystal Palace left Fulham with a place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals and some welcome relief for Pierre Sage. Eddie Nketiah’s finish settled a tight contest, while Dean Henderson’s late save protected a lead earned against the flow of the first half.

Palace made 10 changes, with only Chris Richards keeping his place from the previous match. Fulham, by contrast, began with purpose and threatened twice in quick succession: Kenny Tete headed wide from a corner, then Henderson stopped Antonee Robinson from close range with his feet. Joachim Andersen also failed to make the most of a set-piece opportunity.

For much of the opening half-hour, Palace struggled to get forward and had only 22% possession. But their first clear opening brought the breakthrough. Óscar Mingueza found room on the right and sent in a precise cross; Nketiah met it with a volley to put the visitors ahead.

Fulham had controlled the early exchanges, making the goal a sharp blow. Sander Berge missed a chance to respond before the interval, heading over from close range. Palace emerged with more intent after the break, and Evann Guessand tested Benjamin Lecomte at his near post.

The hosts kept pressing. Rodrigo Muniz could not punish an error by Honest Ahanor, and Jefferson Lerma cleared Alex Iwobi’s header off the line as Fulham came close to an equaliser. Palace had chances to finish the tie late on, too: Daichi Kamada’s effort drifted just wide, while Dwight McNeil also threatened as Fulham pushed forward.

Henderson supplied the decisive intervention in injury time, saving from Gonzalo García to preserve Palace’s advantage. The final whistle brought frustration from Fulham’s supporters and celebration from the travelling Palace fans.

The result marks Palace’s third consecutive appearance in the competition’s quarter-finals. It also eased some of the pressure on Sage after a difficult run, though the source of that relief may be temporary: Saturday’s match against Tottenham is described as carrying greater weight for his future. Fulham, meanwhile, missed a significant opportunity to end a long wait for a home win over Palace; they have not beaten them there since January 2005, a run now stretching to 10 matches.