Super Sub Chilwell Fires Palace to Fourth Straight Craven Cottage Triumph as Fulham's Misery Deepens

Some managers come and go, but Crystal Palace's love affair with Craven Cottage endures. For the fourth consecutive visit across the river, Palace left west London with all three points — and this time it took a late volley from deadline-day signing Ben Chilwell to seal a 3-2 thriller that handed Pierre Sage his first victory as Eagles boss. Chilwell, the former England left-back who arrived from Strasbourg after playing his part in Palace's FA Cup triumph last season, was the hero of the hour. Introduced from the bench, he arrived at the perfect moment to sweep home the winner, celebrating with Sage and the jubilant travelling support at the final whistle. The drama had been building long before his intervention. Fulham, under new manager Alvaro Arbeloa, twice took the lead and twice saw their advantage evaporate. Josh King opened the scoring with a performance of genuine promise — one delivered under the watchful gaze of England head coach Thomas Tuchel, whose presence loomed large with the World Cup 2026 cycle in full swing. King's display was a statement of intent from a player keen to enter the international conversation. César Palacios restored Fulham's lead after Tyrick Mitchell had hauled Palace level, but Mitchell struck again in farcical circumstances — a moment of pure slapstick that summed up Fulham's fortunes — to make it 2-2 and set the stage for Chilwell's decisive intervention. For Arbeloa, this was a bitter pill to swallow. Appointed to revive Fulham's fortunes, he has now overseen three matches without a point, and sections of the home support made their feelings known with boos as the players trudged off. The Cottagers remain pointless and searching for answers. Palace, by contrast, keep finding reasons to smile at this ground. Having won here three times in 2025 under Oliver Glasner, Craven Cottage has become something of a happy hunting ground for the travelling Eagles — even if the home faithful might describe it rather differently. Whether the names in the dugout change or stay the same, the result never does. For Sage, whose reign is in its infancy, this was the kind of victory that breeds momentum and belief. For Chilwell, it was a reminder of his enduring quality at a pivotal moment. And for Fulham, the questions keep piling up. (This report is based on original coverage by Guardian Football.)