Glasner hails Palace's spirit in 'deserved' late victory over Fulham

Oliver Glasner believes Crystal Palace "deserved" their victory over Fulham on Saturday after Marc Guehi delivered an all-important 87th-minute winner.

Palace looked set to be held at Craven Cottage after Harry Wilson cancelled out Eddie Nketiah's opener in the first half.

Nketiah pounced on a weighted throughball from Adam Wharton to break the deadlock in the 20th minute, but Wilson produced a superb outside-of-the-boot strike to drag Fulham level minutes before the break.

Emilie Smith Rowe thought he put Fulham ahead as he reacted quickly to tap in the rebound after Alex Iwobi's header struck the bar, but it was ruled out for offside before Guehi came up trumps with a powerful header to snatch all three points.

"For me, it was a huge performance," Palace boss Glasner told BBC Match of the Day. "I think we were lucky when the goal was disallowed, but I felt like it was more likely we would win the game.

"It's really amazing to win and a credit to the players. The spirit was there and we deserved to win.

"Winning is the most important thing to give you confidence and put you in a good mood. We did very well a few times and sometimes lost the ball. It is important to stay self-critical and analyse the performances.

"It makes me proud because the team did not want to defend the draw, we wanted to win and that's why we got it in the end.

"Small margins, like in every single Premier League game, but we are always able to score goals and defend well.

"I could mention many players, but it was a huge team effort, but that makes me very proud. That’s why we are where we are."

Indeed, Guehi's 87th-minute winner marked Palace's latest winning goal in a Premier League away game since November 2022, when Michael Olise scored in the 94th minute against West Ham (also a 2-1 win).

Saturday's victory also continued the Eagles' strong form on the road under Glasner, with only Arsenal (65), Liverpool (57) and Manchester City (55) having won more points away from home than Palace (52 – P33 W14 D10 L9) in the league since the Austrian's appointment in March 2024.

Nketiah, who opened the scoring, echoed his manager's sentiments, claiming that the "sky is the limit" for Palace if they can continue their good form.

"It was a lovely pass from Adam [Wharton] and a good finish, so I am happy with [my goal]," Nketiah told Sky Sports.

"I had a good first touch and I knew I was going to hopefully score and thankfully I did.

"[Playing in this Palace side] is enjoyable, we fight for each other, and we are full of confidence.

"The sky is the limit if we keep playing as we are. We just want to enjoy the win and focus on the next game on Thursday."

Fulham, meanwhile, fell to their seventh loss in their last 10 top-flight matches (W3), their joint-most in a 10-match stretch under Marco Silva (also seven between March and May 2023).

"Very disappointing result for us and I believe that we didn't deserve that," Silva said to BBC Match of the Day.

"We knew that we had to be patient but at the same time we should have moved the ball quicker. We started well in the second half, and we scored another great goal which was disallowed in a way that is tough to talk about.

"We didn't create so many clear-cut chances. Unfortunately for us, we conceded a goal that we shouldn't. If you cannot win, you cannot lose."