Aleksandar Mitrovic scored a brace to help Fulham produce one of the close football scores of the weekend in the Premier League. Odsonne Edouard scored against the flow of play after a Fulham corner to give Palace the lead with their first chance of the game. When he returned to Craven Cottage, Palace manager Roy Hodgson felt he was taking a halftime advantage, but his team lost focus with a few seconds left before the break. Harry Wilson was unwittingly fouled in the area by Tyrick Mitchell, and Aleksandar Mitrovic, who had been out of the lineup for eight games due to hitting a referee, came in to score an equalizer for the home team.
The Serbian striker capped the comeback by heading in Willian’s free kick, minutes after Mitrovic wasted a golden opportunity in the final seconds of the first half due to sloppy defending by the visitors. However, Palace and Hodgson would ultimately triumph when Ward scored on the second attempt following sloppy Fulham defending from a free-kick of their own.
For the first time since receiving a lengthy suspension for elbowing a referee during Fulham’s FA Cup quarterfinal loss to Manchester United, Mitrovic returned to the starting lineup. It was a welcome homecoming since he required medical attention when Joachim Andersen accidentally elbowed him. But the majority of the first half lacked any ferocity. Tom Cairney saw three of his early attempts blocked as Fulham controlled the majority of the ball but lacked forward vigor. Issa Diop and Antonee Robinson both recklessly swiped at Jordan Ayew’s cross and required their goalkeeper to punch away from close range as Palace gained control of the game. Bernd Leno had to act quickly to prevent both goals from happening.
However, Palace seized the lead with their first shot of the game, which was technically a Fulham corner that started the sequence. The hosts sent the ball to Eberechi Eze, who made a wild run before setting Edouard up for a score. The Palace striker gave Leno one glance before launching his shot high into the near post of the Fulham custodian. Palace were poised to maintain their lead, but with a few seconds left in the half, there was a moment of distraction. Wilson received the ball from Mitrovic by clipping it over the Palace defense, but Mitchell tackled him as he attempted to cut back inside. Josh Smith, the referee, directed directly to the spot, allowing Mitrovic to go past Sam Johnstone with ease.
The Serbian’s situation might have improved just after the break, but he made a terrible error with the goal open. Harrison Reed’s cross found Mitrovic all by himself at the back post, but the Serbian strangely missed the target. On the hour mark, though, the Serbian would make apologies by eluding his defender at Willian’s free-kick and burying a header. In their previous eight games, Palace has let up six goals from set pieces. If not for Johnstone’s valiant stop from Willian, the Palace keeper expertly deflected a top-corner attempt over the bar, Fulham may have made it 3-1.
In the final fifteen minutes, Palace came to life. Prior to Issa Diop almost scoring an own goal by nearly tapping in Jean-Philippe Mateta’s cross, Odsonne Edouard and Michael Olise both challenged Leno with modest attempts. However, Palace scored off a set piece of their own a little while after. The low free kick from Olise rebounded off Antonee Robinson as it travelled all the way to the back post. Following his recovery of the lost ball, Ward attempted to score but Leno stopped him before he could. Mateta’s one-on-one stoppage by Diop’s brilliant last-ditch challenge and Olise’s ferocious effort that curled beyond Leno’s post were both opportunities for Palace to win the match.
“He can demonstrate it without needing to win. We really missed him throughout that time. With Carlos Vinicius scoring crucial goals, Daniel James filling that role, and Bobby playing as a striker, our teammates handled it as best they could,” Fulham boss Marco Silva said. “We did our best to do that. Sadly, he missed eight games, but with everything that has occurred this season, it was greatly exaggerated. Regardless, we must go forward. Exaggerated to the point that it eliminated our best goal scorers.”
For more football scores, click here
