Crystal Palace won their first game in five as they beat Fulham at Craven Cottage to progress to the last eight of the Carabao Cup. An Eddie Nketiah strike put Palace ahead in the 37th minute, and Pierre Sage’s side held out to win, despite a number of chances for both sides in the second half. 

There were a number of impressive performances, some players bouncing back from poor outings in previous games, as others stepped in and took their chances to prove themselves. But just how did each player fare, and who stood out for Palace?

Whilst Walter Benítez had done a solid job between the sticks in Henderson’s absence, Palace had deeply missed their captain. In the previous two games before this tie, they’d conceded from all four of the shots on target across the two games, and were in need of a solid defensive performance. 

Henderson stopped up, making multiple big saves at key points in the match and commanding his area with confidence. He also undoubtedly had a positive impact on the performance of the backline too. 

He certainly earns extra points for his assist for the goal, which was an expertly delivered cross and a reminder of just why Palace were so keen to bring him through the door. However, at times his work on the ball leaves a lot to be desired. In his own half, he’s solid, but when he ventures forwards he often gives the ball away. 

His overall performance in a defensive sense was solid, and Fulham tended to target the opposite flank in transitions, avoiding Mingueza altogether. Four clearances, four recoveries and won five of his nine ground duels. Defensively he is slightly more assured than Khalaili, and if he can continue to step up when given the chance, some healthy competition between the pair could begin to brew. 

Considering Khalaili’s inconsistency in the final third and struggles defensively, Mingueza could well be worthy of a starting place in the first team. 

Lerma showed his worth to the side once again with this performance, stepping up with big defensive numbers and playing a vital role in how restricted Fulham were down Palace’s right-hand side. For periods in the game Palace were bombarded with Fulham attacks, and Lerma stood strong alongside Richards to keep the ball out of the net. 

10 clearances, 9 recoveries and 100% of his aerial duels won were the standout stats for Lerma in this one, and Sage will be scratching his head considering whether or not to start the Colombian against Spurs on Saturday. 

A truly monumental performance in central defence from Richards, who looked back to his best after a slow start to the season. Starting as the central centre back, he was at the heart of almost everything Palace did well defensively. 

18 defensive contributions, 12 clearances, 2 blocks and 100% of his ground duels won sum up just how vital he was for Palace. Whilst there were moments that Fulham players found themselves unmarked in the box, they rarely had a chance of real worry and Richards was a huge part of that. 

Ahanor’s level right now was summed up pretty well in the first half, where in the space of a few minutes he made a couple of excellent interventions before passing the ball straight back to Fulham. The talent is undeniable, but with youth comes a slice of naivety, and at times he can find himself isolated and exposed, or making the wrong decision at costly moments. 

Fulham really targeted his side, and Oscar Bobb had a fair amount of joy at times, but Ahanor also stood up strong in other duels. 

The stats tell a slightly different story to what Palace fans would have witnessed from Chilwell in this game. After missing the last two through injury, it was pretty evident that there is still some discomfort for Chilwell, who despite only being dribbled past once and winning 100% of his tackles, was seemingly rinsed by Bobb time and time again. 

His legs went by the 50th minute mark and Sage had to make the call to sub him out before Fulham found any further joy. It was no coincidence that when Mitchell came on in his place, the Fulham attacks transitioned over to target Mingueza on Palace’s right. 

Just a tidy performance from Hughes, who hadn’t featured properly since before the international break. He kept the ball moving and made a handful of smart interventions, including later on in the game when he dropped deeper to support the backline. 

In his first start of the season, and also his first in over 600 days, it was understandable that Doucouré was slightly tentative in his approach. He kept the ball moving when he got it, but was somewhat of a passenger for large parts of the sixty minutes he played. 

Despite this, it was great to see him back on the pitch for Palace, and hopefully now he can begin to push back towards the level he was playing at pre-injury and avoid any further setbacks. 

After a couple of bright cameos off the bench in recent games, it was good to see Osorio awarded a start in this match. He was a bright spark for Palace throughout, and drew smart fouls through quick footwork. The game was quite limiting for Palace in terms of attacking transitions, at least until the closing stages when Fulham began to chase an equaliser, and therefore Osorio had to be very composed and disciplined. 

His performances in the last few weeks have been really promising, and he deserves to be given further chances to impress. 

Where certain players really took their chances, Guessand didn’t. He was really poor in possession, and gifted the ball away far too often. When he tracked back, he often committed a foul instead of winning the ball. It was a disappointing performance considering this could have been a big opportunity for the Ivorian to stake a claim for more consistent minutes. 

Despite being virtually absent for the first 35 minutes, Nketiah showed his value with a really well taken finish. Not only was the final touch executed with superb accuracy, but the run to meet Mingueza’s cross was brilliant. 

There wasn’t much in the way of service for him, but scoring from his only shot of the game, having taken just 16 touches throughout his 71 minutes is a sign that he could well be getting towards some sort of form which could see him contribute going forward. 

Came on, was strong in possession and completed 100% of his duels, playing a clear role in Palace seeing out the win. 

It felt like a good opportunity for Wharton to come into the game and really control the play, dictate the tempo and calm it down to benefit Palace. However, it was another underwhelming showing from Wharton. He completed just 58% of his passes, and was wasteful in possession throughout, often attempting ambitious long passes that turned play over to Fulham. 

McNeil has become an important part of Palace’s squad, and demonstrated why he’s useful in the closing stages. He’s efficient in possession, and wins smart fouls too. On another day he could have found a decisive goal, but was denied twice by Lecomte.

Missed a golden opportunity to secure the win for Palace, firing wide from a great chance on the half volley. The attack improved drastically when he came on though, and Palace looked much more fluid in transitions.  

Comfortably Palace’s best player at the minute, and he showed his quality when he came on. Whilst he’s slightly more ambitious than he is efficient, he genuinely looked a level above the other players on the pitch when he came on.