Eze guides Crystal Palace into FA Cup semi-finals.
Fresh off scoring his first England goal against Latvia on Monday, Eze opened the scoring with a brilliant strike from outside the box.
He then turned provider, setting up Ismaila Sarr to quickly double Palace’s lead, and Eddie Nketiah added a third as a second-half substitute.
After a tough start to the season, Palace have become one of the Premier League’s in-form teams, climbing to 12th place in recent months under the guidance of Oliver Glasner. The Eagles have won their last six away games, including a 2-0 victory at Craven Cottage last month, and now have their sights set on winning the FA Cup for the first time.
Palace were also able to welcome back French striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, who made his first appearance since requiring 25 stitches in his ear after an injury during their fifth-round win over Millwall four weeks ago.
But it was Eze who stole the show, delivering two game-changing moments in quick succession.
The 26-year-old cut inside onto his preferred right foot and curled a beautiful shot off the far post to open the scoring in the 34th minute. Eze then showed his versatility, gliding past Sander Berge before delivering an inch-perfect left-footed cross for Sarr to head in at the near post.
“It’s unbelievable—the individual quality,” said Glasner of Eze’s performance. “The first goal was so important because it gave us belief. We were struggling at the start, and you need moments like that to get the belief back.”
Fulham, who sit four places and six points above Palace in the Premier League, will now shift their focus to securing a top-five finish and qualifying for the Champions League for the first time. However, their FA Cup hopes were dashed 15 minutes from time.
Nketiah, who had only just come on as a substitute for Mateta, made an instant impact, finishing calmly under his former Arsenal teammate Bernd Leno to seal a 3-0 win.
In Saturday’s other quarter-final match, Brighton will host Nottingham Forest. Forest handed the Seagulls a 7-0 defeat last month, but Brighton have bounced back with six wins and one draw in their seven matches since, including a 2-2 draw away at Manchester City.
City, the competition’s favourites, face a tough trip to Bournemouth on Sunday. After a disappointing season by their usual standards, the FA Cup represents their last chance to secure a trophy.
Aston Villa will visit second-tier Preston in Sunday’s early kick-off, aiming to stay on course for their first trophy since 1996.
