Crystal Palace overturn Fulham lead in five-goal Craven Cottage thriller

Crystal Palace produced a clinical second-half turnaround to defeat Fulham 3-2 at Craven Cottage in the Premier League on Saturday. Tyrick Mitchell’s brace and Ben Chilwell’s late volley cancelled out first-half goals from Josh King and César Palacios, with Palace making their efficiency count against a Fulham side that dominated the ball and peppered the visiting goal.

Fulham made the brighter start and were rewarded in the 11th minute when Josh King opened the scoring. The hosts controlled much of the early territory, using their possession to push Palace back and build pressure around the penalty area.

Palace found an important response in the 35th minute through Tyrick Mitchell, whose goal brought the visitors level and shifted the momentum before the interval. Yet Fulham restored their advantage seven minutes later, with César Palacios scoring in the 42nd minute to send the home side into half-time with a 2-1 lead.

The second half belonged to Palace. Mitchell struck again in the 54th minute to make it 2-2, completing a decisive personal double and punishing Fulham’s failure to turn their territorial control into a more comfortable margin.

Fulham continued to command possession, finishing with 64.7 per cent of the ball and registering 25 shots to Palace’s 10. But Palace were sharper in the key moments. The visitors hit five shots on target, compared with Fulham’s six, and their final telling intervention arrived in the 77th minute.

Ben Chilwell, introduced from the bench, volleyed Palace in front with 13 minutes remaining. It was a composed and pivotal finish, completing the visitors’ comeback and leaving Fulham with too little time to find a third equaliser.

Palace held firm through the closing stages to secure a valuable 3-2 away win. Fulham will look to turn a dominant statistical display into points when Liverpool visit next Saturday, while Palace take their momentum into their home fixture against Ipswich Town.

Goals

  • Fulham: Josh King 11′, César Palacios 42′
  • Crystal Palace: Tyrick Mitchell 35′, 54′; Ben Chilwell 77′