Chris Richards and Crystal Palace booked their place in the FA Cup quarterfinal with a 3-0 win over Antonee Robinson's Fulham
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Richards and Palace cruise to winRobinson starts after missing USMNT dutyTurner left on benchFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?
With U.S. international Chris Richards in the starting XI, Crystal Palace cruised to a clear-cut 3-0 win over Antonee Robinson's Fulham behind a pair of first half goals. Eberechi Eze was the catalyst, netting Palace's opener in the 34th minute before assisting Ismaila Sarr four minutes later to double the lead for the visitors, who added one more for good measure in the 75th-minute when Eddie Nketiah put the game away.
Richards started and played all 90 minutes, helping Palace's five-man backline keep the clean sheet. Robinson, meanwhile, went 71 minutes for Fulham after missing USMNT duty due to lingering injury issues. He had one shot, four crosses attempted, and one chance created.
Matt Turner, Palace's usual cup goalkeeper, didn't see any action as the USMNT starter was left on the bench by manager Oliver Glasnee – opting instead to stick with starter Dean Henderson.
“I talked to both goalkeepers today and I took the decision that Dean [Henderson] will start tomorrow,” Glasner said Friday. “On one side, it was a tough decision. On the other side, it was a very good decision for me to take because [it’s good to choose] between two great goalkeepers with everybody having 100 percent confidence and trust of us."
He added, “Dean is our No. 1, he’s played most of the games. We didn’t have a game for three weeks and I didn’t want to change this [the goalkeepers], that is why he will start tomorrow. [Matt Turner took it] very professionally. We talked two or three times this week because I was undecided for a long time."
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With the win, Palace are into the FA Cup semifinals, becoming the first team to advance to that stage. The draw for the semifinal round, which will be held at Wembley Stadium, will be held on Sunday following the three other quarterfinal matches.
Palace have never won the FA Cup, with their best runs ending in final defeats in 1990 and 2016.
Getty Images SportDID YOU KNOW?
This will be Palace's first trip to the FA Cup semifinals since the 2021-22 season, the campaign before Richards made the move to the London club. He joined Palace from Bayern Munich in July 2022, having spent the previous two seasons on loan with Hoffenheim. He made a total of 10 appearances at Bayern, earning medals for a UEFA Super Cup and two DFL Supercup triumphs.
Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR PALACE AND FULHAM?
With the win, Palace will now look ahead to a return to the Premier League on Wednesday when they visit Southampton. Fulham, meanwhile, still have plenty at stake this season. currently sit eighth, only four points out of a Champions League spot, but will now face Arsenal and Liverpool in their next two Premier League matches.
