Oliver Glasner marked one year in charge of Crystal Palace by leading them to a 2-0 win at in-form Fulham, securing their fifth consecutive away victory in a performance that epitomized his tenure at the club.
Palace’s approach was a masterclass in counter-attacking football, as they effectively neutralized Fulham’s dominance in possession. The match saw an own goal from Joachim Andersen and a brilliant strike from Daniel Munoz, stunning Marco Silva’s side while limiting them to no shots on target throughout the game.
Fulham began the match the more confident of the two sides, enjoying early possession and putting pressure on Palace. Their frustration grew when referee Rob Jones allowed play to continue despite Chris Richards appearing to foul Emile Smith Rowe. The atmosphere turned tense when a challenge by Will Hughes on Calvin Bassey went unpunished, sparking vocal discontent from the home fans.
The opening goal came from a Palace corner, as Andersen inadvertently glanced the ball into his own net, although Maxence Lacroix initially celebrated as if he had scored.
Palace held their lead into the second half, and though they initially thought they had doubled it when Eberechi Eze’s clever backheel set up Jean-Philippe Mateta, a VAR review ruled Mateta inches offside. Despite the disappointment of the disallowed goal, Mateta was instrumental in the build-up to Palace’s second.
Fulham’s failure to clear the ball resulted in a quick counter-attack led by Mateta, with the ball eventually finding Munoz in space. The winger, at a tight angle, expertly curled his shot into the far corner, giving Palace a well-deserved two-goal lead.
Fulham tried to respond, dominating possession even through eight minutes of added time, but Palace’s goalkeeper Dean Henderson was never truly tested. The result denied Fulham the chance to move into the top seven, while Crystal Palace climbed to 13th in the table.
