Schlupp stunner rescues point for Crystal Palace against Fulham
Confidence has been visibly following through this Palace outfit who are now thriving under Oliver Glasner, and the good times appeared to be continuing here, as they made a dominant start to proceedings.
Michael Olise really ought to have opened the scoring inside six minutes when he was found by Adam Wharton, but he missed the target from close range on his weaker foot.
Chris Richards then went close with a header from an Olise free-kick, while Wharton fired over from distance as the Eagles looked to press home their advantage.
Fulham boss Marco Silva cut a frustrated figure on the sidelines, with a knock to goalkeeper Bernd Leno allowing him the chance to reconfigure his side’s tactics.
The hosts certainly established a foothold as a result, yet clear-cut chances remained at a premium for the Cottagers.
Rodrigo Muniz stole in to create a chance at the near post with HT fast approaching, but Dean Henderson was equal to the effort, ensuring honours were even at the break.
Picking up where they left off before the break, Fulham’s improvement in the contest was rewarded within seven minutes of the restart.
Andreas Pereira slotted Timothy Castagne in on the right, with the Belgian’s pinpoint cross emphatically headed home from close range by Muniz to break the deadlock.
Palace were now the chasers, and Odsonne Édouard emerged from the bench to threaten an equaliser. His low drive from the inside right was well denied by Leno, though the Eagles struggled to threaten Fulham as time began to run out on their comeback efforts.
Just when it looked as though they’d run out of ideas, up stepped Schlupp to unleash an absolute rocket that thundered into the back of Leno’s net.
Fulham have now won just one of their last six league matches, leaving them on the back foot as they chase a top-half finish.
Palace have similar aims, and will therefore have been disappointed to see their miserable record in away London derbies go on - they’ve won just one of the last 20 such matches!
Flashscore Man of the Match: Andreas Pereira (Fulham)
