Crystal Palace produced a beautiful FA Cup-Plons and Grab to book a semi-final date at Wembley.
Jean -Philippe Mateta – Attracting his water behavior inspired protective main guard – hardly made a wrinkle on his Eagles -backer.
Instead, Ebereechi Eze and Ismaila Sarr stepped up to grab two goals in four first half minutes, blowing a stunned Fulham from the water from Craven Cottage.
A third goal against the game in the 75th minute sealed it thanks to the second half of Sub Eddie Nketiah.
Marco Silva – enjoying his 500th competition in management – will scratch his head for weeks on this score, shocked by how his Fulham boys have not seen these after such a dominant but toothless show.
The Portuguese coach will also wonder what could have been if Adam Wharton received a second yellow for a 22nd minute kick-out at Rodrigo Muniz.
For the time being Fulham's 50-year waiting time is waiting to reach a domestic cup final. In the meantime, Austrian boss Oliver Glasner's hero status in South London has reached new heights.
The believers of Selhurst will really believe that this is finally their time in the most open FA Cup for years – even if they were surpassed for large parts on the banks of the Thames.
Mateta's comeback was another positive for Palace and Glasner -the Frenchman who made his first performance because he needed 25 stitches in his left ear after he had hit a horrible Kung -Fu Kick by Millwall -Keeper Liam Roberts in the fifth round on March 1.
A bizarre looking headband that covered the ear, debuted. Glasner joked in the structure, he looked like a water polo star, while his teammates Mateta compared to a WWE thrust.
It is not surprising that he looked rusty and long-legged, unable to carry out this term in this 69-minute outing to his 15 goals in all competitions so far, with opportunities that few between the visitors.
Silva also made a big decision and brought in Muniz to lead the line after his impressive targeting display to Down Tottenham in the Premier League before the international break, causing Raul Jimenez to fall on the couch.
The early signs were promising. Within the first two minutes, Muniz Marc Guehi skipped, past Maxence Lacroix and curled just wide from the distant post of Dean Henderson.
The cottage fluctuated. The sound was sensational. White and black flags had draped the grandstands before the kick -off was while red and blue balloons bounced around the end.
Early kick – offs in the cup are often recipes for tame, muted things, but these – smothered in sunshine – had the feeling of a final. Both parties recognized what a chance this was.
Fulham continued to stack the pressure, stifling palace. Sander Berge's long -distance shot was bent wide by the hand of a Lunging Jefferson Lerma. Var was not hassle.
Muniz then sent a header from a corner right in the arms of Henderson. The visitors struggled for a solution. Mateta cut an insulated, frustrated figure.
He almost got his chance when Sarr for Calvin Bassey on the edge of his box – only for his cutback to be treated comfortably.
It seemed inevitable that Fulham would score. Bassey, this time forward, made the best out of a wrong Guehi declaration, but his tee-up for Andreas Pereira was wasted.
Shortly thereafter, Wharton from Muniz kicked the ball in the middle of the field, after he had already picked up a yellow for the wandering of Willian in the 14th minute.
Ref Darren England, surrounded by furious Fulham players, chose to give Wharton the benefit of the doubt. In retrospect, it was a huge resignation for Palace, a disappointment they would benefit from.
Lerma had just beaten the bar with a bold volley, and in the 34th minute Eze got too much room to cut in from the left and to curl a beauty in the post from 25 meters, the home fans with a smile.
Palace's Cup King, four of Eze's last five goals have gone away from the Prem.
Shell-Shocked and Downbeat, Fulham's reaction could not have been worse, withdrawn again, this time the English international on the outside and gets a cross.
SARR had made it clear from Bassey's Handle for the simplest flickered head finishes.
In reality, Fulham never looked like coming back to it from there. Palace started to enjoy himself, especially Wharton, and Pirouets on the ball around two players just before the break.
The cottage demanded an almighty reaction, a memorable comeback. Neither of them received. The air was left from the Fulham FA Cup balloon.
Their second half highlight included a deflected Willian effort of Wharton, which was sent away by Henderson and a subsequent target malt, climbing from a corner that Bassey could not convert somehow in one way or other.
Palace knocked on the script of the day and then hit the run of playing, Nketiah – who had replaced Mateta – slid to the left and stuck a cute finish through the legs of his old Arsenal – friend Bernd Leno.
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