It is a strange quirk of this fixture that the away side has not lost for the last 10 Premier League meetings between Crystal Palace and Fulham, with the substitute Tom Cairney’s late equaliser ensuring that streak goes on.
Only a brilliant save in added time from Dean Henderson and a glaring miss from the former Palace player Joachim Andersen denied Marco Silva’s side all the points after falling behind to Jean-Philippe Mateta’s first goal from open play since 1 November. But Oliver Glasner was still bitterly disappointed that his team could not end a sequence of six games without a victory in all competitions after running out of steam again in their 31st match of the season. “We are a little bit in survival mode,” said the Palace manager, whose team now face three games in the space of seven days.
At least Palace supporters can console themselves with the impending arrival of Brennan Johnson for a club record fee of £35m from Tottenham having completed the first part of his medical while these two teams were slugging it out in south London. The Wales forward will add some much-needed firepower to Palace’s faltering attack, with the FA Cup winners also pursuing another striker to provide some back-up for Mateta, having registered their interest in 19-year-old Sidiki Cherif from Angers.
Mateta – so often the player who sets the tone for Palace – has been labouring in recent weeks but took his goal brilliantly. However, they could not kill off a spirited Fulham side who were nine points behind their London rivals when they were beaten at Craven Cottage in early December and now found themselves trailing only on goal difference.
Both sides were unchanged after experiencing a contrasting few weeks, with Fulham having recorded three straight Premier League wins since their last meeting to ease themselves away from any relegation peril. Silva insisted this week that their recent success would not affect their “clear plan” for the January window, with another striker a major priority given Rodrigo Muniz is not due back from injury until next month.
They enjoyed some threatening moments during an opening period that was strangely lacking in intensity but couldn’t make the most of a couple of decent chances. The in-form Harry Wilson forced Henderson into action for the first time but Raúl Jiménez could only scuff the rebound wide.
Palace had to wait until the 32nd minute for their first sight of goal when Marc Guéhi was denied from close range by Bernd Leno. They were given a helping hand when Jorge Cuenca went down with a head injury after a challenge from Justin Devenny when there had appeared to be minimal contact. He was ordered off for treatment by referee Tony Harrington and could only watch from the sidelines as Nathaniel Clyne was able to pick out Mateta at the far post, with Silva looking less than amused at what he felt was an overzealous application of the rules.
“It was a strange decision,” said the Fulham manager. “We should not have been playing with 10 men in that moment because our player was in a condition to keep going.” His mood would have soured further if Clyne and Will Hughes had taken their chances to extend Palace’s lead before the break. A hamstring injury to Kenny Tete forced Fulham into an early change in the second half before Hughes was also forced off to add to Glasner’s injury concerns.
Mateta should have been more alert to convert a clever pass from the outstanding Yeremy Pino that would have given Palace breathing space. Jiménez almost made them pay when his header from Antonee Robinson’s cross struck a post. Leno was fortunate to escape when he pushed the ball onto the bar after an initial mistake and Guéhi somehow blocked teammate Maxence Lacroix’s effort on the line.
It proved to be a crucial moment as Fulham eventually found their equaliser after a combination between Robinson, Wilson and Cairney’s brilliant finish with his left foot that was celebrated with a double fist pump from Silva. Timothy Castagne should have settled it only to be denied by a diving Henderson before Andersen was left with his head in his hands when his shot with virtually the last kick of the match sailed into the stands.
