Calvin Bassey shocking, Sander Berge impresses – Fulham ratings v Crystal Palace
Fulham were undone by a moment of brilliance from Eberechi Eze as the Whites crashed out of the FA Cup after a 3-0 loss to Crystal Palace.
The Whites started incredibly brightly, with the Fulham fans in the stands armed with bright white flags to add to the occasion.
However, against the run of play, Eze produced a piece of magic, dancing inside from out wide before whipping an unbelievable strike past Bernd Leno in the 34th minute.
Just four minutes later, it was the 26-year-old former Fulham academy player stealing the spotlight, as he edged to the by-line, before curling a left-footed cross into Ismaila Sarr who doubled the Eagles’ lead.
Calvin Bassey was caught out in the 75th minute, as the Nigerian international was too slow in stepping up to play the offside trap, allowing Eddie Nketiah to waltz through on goal, before poking home through the legs of Bernd Leno.
Marco Silva watches his Fulham side capitulate after bright start
Bernd Leno – 3
The German is typically a safe pair of hands for the Whites, but the former Arsenal man seemed incapable of stopping anything that was fired his way.
Timothy Castagne – 4
Allowed Eze to breeze past him for the Eagles’ opener and lacked any sort of threat going forward,.
Joachim Andersen – 4
The Danish defender’s trademark raking long passes lacked accuracy against Palace and the centre-back will have been incredibly disappointed to lose against his former side.
Calvin Bassey – 2
Allowed Sarr to drift past him for Palace’s second, before being slow to step-up and play Nketiah offside for the Eagles’ third, a miserable day for the talented defender who likely should have scored for the Cottagers with a chance from a corner.
Antonee Robinson wayward crossing lets Fulham down
Antonee Robinson (off for Sessegnon 70′) – 4
Robinson has interest from Liverpool after registering 10 assists so far in the Premier League. The USA international was lively as ever, but wayward crossing from the left-back limited Fulham’s offensive potency.
Sander Berge – 7 – Player-of-the-Match
Perhaps the only player who can leave the pitch knowing they gave a display worthy of an FA Cup quarter-finalist. The Norwegian midfielder moved the ball fluidly, whilst doing a solid job of protecting the back-line.
Sasa Lukic (off for Traore 63′) – 5
Strong in the air, but given his skillset is that of a tough-tackling midfielder, Lukic failed to have much impact on the game after the Whites conceded twice in the first half. Replaced after an hour as Silva looked to improve his attacking options.
Alex Iwobi goes missing in crucial match
Alex Iwobi (off for Cairney 81′) – 3
Continuously lost out to Tyrick Mitchell, the only positive aspect of his performance was helping Mitchell make a case to be in Thomas Tuchel’s next England squad, just was not his day.
Andreas Pereira (off for Smith Rowe 63′) – 4
Pereira seemed destined to leave in the winter transfer window, but changed his tune and has once again become an important part of Silva’s side. However, the Brazilian lacked the cutting edge necessary with his passing, failing to effectively break down Palace’s staunch back five.
Willian (off for Jimenez 70′) – 4
Willian re-joined Fulham in January on a free transfer and has been slowly integrated into Silva’s side. Tidy in possession, but his lack of explosiveness makes him predictable to defend against. Coupled with poor end-product, the Brazilian was disappointing on the day.
Rodrigo Muniz – 5
Muniz was favoured over the in-form Raul Jimenez and the Brazilian striker started brightly, however, the crosses aimed at the striker lacked accuracy, leaving him with little to work with.
Substitutes
Emile Smith Rowe (on for Pereira 63′) – 4
Came on for Pereira and had little to no impact on the match, failing to add the quality required to break down the Eagles’ backline.
Adama Traore (on for Lukic 63′) – 4
His introduction seemed to add life to Fulham, for about a minute or so, before fading much like the rest of the squad.
Raul Jimenez (on for Willian 70′) – 3
A couple of nice touches were followed by the Mexican seeing almost none of the ball, a passenger in the embarrassing display.
Ryan Sessegnon (on for Robinson 70′) – 5
The fan-favourite at least showed a little fight in his performance for the Whites, but much like Robinson, the quality required on his delivery was missing on the day.
Tom Cairney (on for Iwobi 81′) – 5
The game was over by the time Cairney was introduced, the 34-year-old only had the chance to make 10 passes during his time on the pitch.