Eddie Nketiah's first-half goal proved enough for Crystal Palace to beat Fulham 1-0 at Craven Cottage on Wednesday night, booking their place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals and easing some of the heat on manager Pierre Sage.

Fulham dominated large portions of the fourth-round tie, squandering a string of clear-cut opportunities before Palace struck with their very first attack of the match. On 37 minutes, Oscar Mingueza burst forward down the right flank and delivered a cross that Nketiah redirected into the net with a delicate flick — a composed finish for what was just his 10th touch of the game.

Fulham's missed chances prove costly

The hosts had come closest to breaking the deadlock as early as the 16th minute, when Tete found himself completely unmarked at the back post but miscued his header wide. Two minutes later, Henderson was called into action again, comfortably dealing with a tame Robinson effort.

After the interval, Fulham resumed their search for a leveller with urgency. Alex Iwobi forced a point-blank save from Dean Henderson after a corner in the 68th minute, with the Palace goalkeeper using his legs to keep out the close-range attempt.

Kamada then spurned a golden opportunity to seal the result for Palace in the 87th minute, sending a shot wide from inside the box when he should have put the tie beyond doubt.

Late Henderson heroics secure the win

Fulham mounted one final push deep into stoppage time, but Henderson — who was Palace's busiest performer throughout — palmed away a header from Gonzalo Garcia to preserve the clean sheet and send the Eagles through.

The victory offers Crystal Palace a timely boost, with Sage's side now among the last eight in the competition. Fulham, meanwhile, will rue a display in which they created far more than they converted.