Sports
EPL: Smith Rowe Shines As Fulham Outclass 10-Man Palace
Fulham extended their impressive start to the season with a decisive Premier League victory over a struggling Crystal Palace side.
This win moved Fulham up to sixth place in the league, level on points with fourth-placed Chelsea. Chelsea, however, will play their game in hand against Arsenal, who also sit on 18 points, on Sunday.
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Fulham took the lead in the second minute of first-half stoppage time, when Emile Smith Rowe pounced on a pass from Raul Jimenez and slotted a left-footed shot past Dean Henderson, capitalizing on an error by Palace defender Maxence Lacroix.
Marco Silva’s team could have won by an even larger margin, and they doubled their lead when substitute Harry Wilson scored his third goal in a week with seven minutes remaining. Palace’s woes were compounded when Daichi Kamada was sent off in the 76th minute for a reckless tackle on Kenny Tete.
With key players Eddie Nketiah, Adam Wharton, Eberechi Eze, and Jefferson Lerma sidelined, Palace fielded a reconfigured lineup. Manager Oliver Glasner attempted to bolster the midfield by positioning England defender Marc Guehi alongside 21-year-old debutant Justin Devenny, but the strategy fell short.
Palace struggled to maintain consistent pressure, with their main threat emerging through direct plays to striker Jean-Philippe Mateta. Mateta narrowly missed scoring, heading a cross from Devenny just over, and later had an effort cleared off the line by his former teammate Joachim Andersen.
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Meanwhile, Fulham repeatedly cut through Palace’s defence with sharp, well-coordinated plays. A second goal by Smith Rowe was ruled out after VAR showed he was offside, and a late strike from Wilson was also disallowed for a handball. Raul Jimenez came close with a volley, and Dean Henderson made crucial saves against attempts by Alex Iwobi, Reiss Nelson, and Andreas Pereira to keep the scoreline from widening further.
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