Palhinha stunner helps Fulham into FA Cup quarter final
WONDERSTRIKE: Fulham's Joao Palhinha celebrates. Pic: John Walton/PA Wire.
Marco Silva has already got Fulham fans dreaming of qualifying for Europe, and now he will have them dreaming of lifting silverware too after knocking out fellow Premier League side Leeds to advance to the quarter finals of the FA Cup.
Fulham, who are currently sixth in the Premier League, had two brilliant goals to thank for their victory, with Joao Palhinha opening the scoring with a wonder strike before Manor Solomon put the game to bed in the second half with a carbon copy of the goal he scored against Wolves last Friday, bending the ball into the far corner.
Boss Silva’s admission a week before the Premier League season started that he did not believe he had a squad that was ready for the top-flight because of a lack of additions in key areas seems a long, long time ago now. Many had predicted a tough season for his side but it has been anything but.
And it was two of the summer additions Silva had to thank for his team’s latest win. Perhaps only talisman Aleksandar Mitrovic has better reflected Fulham’s excellent season than midfielder Palhinha, who Fulham somehow managed to lure away from Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon for less than £18m.
Palhinha is a combative defensive midfielder by trade, but to describe him solely as that would do him a disservice. The 27-year-old also has an eye for a goal, this his fourth of the season and one which perfectly summed him up as a player, stealing in to nick the ball in the opposition half before bending in a fantastic strike with his next touch to beat Islan Meslier, who was caught off guard by the effort from some way out on 27 minutes.
Leeds were the better team in the first half, having had the ball in the net twice through Georgino Rutter’s close-range tap-in, which was disallowed for a push on Harry Wilson by Weston McKennie prior to the goal, and another tap-in from an offside Willy Gnonto after Marek Rodak had got down low to tip away a strike from Rasmus Kristensen.
Their biggest chance of the half came just before the whistle was blown, however, when Rutter’s looping header from Gnonto’s cross bounced back off the post much to the relief of a beaten Rodak.
New Leeds manager Javi Gracia can take some encouragement from a lot of what he saw in his second game in charge of the club, but the problems that cost Jesse Marsch his job, a lack of cutting edge and clinical finishing, once again proved costly, as the in-form Solomon bent in a fine effort from the edge of the box to score his fourth goal in the last four games and put the game to bed in the second half.
Even after going 2-0 down, Leeds continued to threaten. Gracia’s side looked far more dangerous following the introductions of Jack Harrison and Max Aaronson and the latter volleyed just wide on 77 minutes, before a scramble in the box somehow ended with Leeds failing to score as Tim Ream’s clearance came back off McKennie and bobbled just wide.
Silva remains adamant that Fulham’s targets have not changed this season, with Premier League safety still the priority. But with that all but secured, there is no reason for Fulham not to throw everything at this competition in the hope of adding to what has already been a memorable season for the club.
Rodak 7, Soares 7 (Tete 90’), Tosin 7, Ream 7, Robinson 7, Palhinha 8 (Reed 81’), Lukic 6, Wilson 6 (Willian 82’), Pereira 7, Solomon 8 (De Cordova-Reid 81’), Mitrovic 6 (Vinicius 69’).Â
Meslier 6, Ayling 6, Koch 6, Kristensen 6, Firpo 6, Adams 6, McKennie 6, Roca 6 (Aaronson 74’), Summerville 6, Rutter 6 (Bamford 63’), Gnonto 5 (Harrison 64’).Â
Chris Kavanagh 7
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