Adam Wharton could have seen red but instead he was pirouetting in the centre circle after Eberechi Eze’s ‘fabulous’ opener at Craven Cottage
Fulham 0-3 Crystal Palace (Eze 34′, Sarr 38′, Nketiah 75′)
For all the talk of the returning Jean-Philippe Mateta, it was the wealth of attacking talent around him that steered Crystal Palace closer to an FA Cup first.
Eberechi Eze scored the first and assisted the second for Ismaila Sarr in the first half, with Eddie Nketiah then netting after the break as Crystal Palace emphatically booked their place in the Wembley semi-finals at Fulham’s expense.
It caps off a remarkable week for Eze, who scored for England against Latvia on Monday, with his “fabulous” goal against Fulham making more than just Thomas Tuchel smile.
Saturday’s stunner, an unstoppable strike which curled beyond Bernd Leno’s reach, has Palace fans dreaming once more. Not since 2016 have they reached the FA Cup final, while they have never won this competition. Two wins at Wembley would therefore write these players into the history books – and at this rate Eze in particular.
Whether it could also be a parting gift from Eze remains to be seen. The 26-year-old, whose contract runs until the summer of 2027, was the subject of interest from Manchester City and Tottenham last year.
"Ohhhhhhh, it's fabulous!!" 🦅🦅🦅
What a week he's having – Eberechi Eze gives Palace the lead! 🔴🔵#ITVFootball | #FACup | #FULCRY pic.twitter.com/bmQgoqeWc1
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) March 29, 2025
This summer, surely more clubs will enquire about the attacker, whose £68m release clause is set to reactivate at the end of the season, per the Daily Mail.
That could prove a steal in the modern world of transfers, while Palace may have to brace themselves for interest in 21-year-old Adam Wharton as well.
The promising midfielder, who could easily fetch Palace £100m if suitors come knocking, had a lively first half at Craven Cottage. He earned a booking after 14 minutes and eight minutes later he has perhaps fortunate to escape a second yellow when kicking out at Rodrigo Muniz.
“He’s a lucky boy,” Ally McCoist said on ITV commentary after the challenge, with Ian Wright adding at half-time: “It’s risky. I think he’s very fortunate the laws are so complicated. You can’t look at that for some reason. He has kicked out.”
🗣️ "You probably could get booked for that." 🟨
Is Adam Wharton lucky to still be on the pitch?#ITVFootball | #FACup pic.twitter.com/vKzgFEh0sS
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) March 29, 2025
VAR could only have intervened had they deemed the incident a red-card offence for violent conduct. Crucially for Palace, the VAR Robert Jones did not view it that way, and some 12 minutes later Eze broke the deadlock before his cross for Sarr shortly after was headed in.
At 2-0 up Wharton was even pirouetting in the centre circle, evading challenges with a swagger that defined Palace’s win over Fulham. The visitors had less possession but took their chances, finding the target twice as much (3-6) despite having half the amount of shots (16-8).
Fulham were wasteful, therefore, and never really recovered from the four-minute double from Palace, with Nketiah then sealing the win with 15 minutes to go.
It means Fulham’s FA Cup drought goes on. Like Palace they have never won the competition, and have not reached a semi-final since 2002.
For Palace, they are out to go one better than 1990 and 2016. On the first occasion, they drew 3-3 with Manchester United in the final before losing the replay 1-0, while nine years ago they lost to United again, 2-1 after extra-time.
Now, with history in their sights, they eagerly await the semi-final draw on Sunday.