Crystal Palace halted a sequence of three league losses with a 1-1 home draw against Fulham, yet post-match focus quickly shifted towards Brennan Johnson's possible transfer from Tottenham, as Oliver Glasner admitted checking the progress of the Wales forward's reported 35m move would have to wait.
Jean-Philippe Mateta put Crystal Palace ahead with a close-range header, but Fulham struck back when Tom Cairney produced a fine finish with 10 minutes left, and the visitors then applied heavy pressure, forcing the hosts to defend deep through a tense period of stoppage time.
Reports before kick-off stated that Brennan Johnson had agreed a transfer to Crystal Palace from Tottenham, with the fee said to stand near 35m, but when Sky Sports asked Oliver
Glasner for clarity after the match, the Crystal Palace head coach stressed that attention had been fixed on events at Selhurst Park. "In the last three or four hours I was focused on this game, I will have to look at my phone. Maybe I got a message but I don't know. If this is true, somebody will let me know. "
Crystal Palace finished the contest under pressure as Fulham created the better late openings, with Timothy Castagne and former Crystal Palace defender Joachim Andersen both squandering major chances during added time, while the visitors ended with 17 attempts to 11, more efforts on target by five to two, and a superior expected goals figure of 1.91 compared with 1.59.
Oliver Glasner accepted that Crystal Palace lacked control in the closing stages and highlighted the physical strain on the squad following recent defeats and a crowded schedule. "It's not surprising for me, we are a little bit in survival mode, he added. As long as we are fresh it's okay how we play, but when the pressure increased we couldn't release ourselves and it was a question of time to concede the equaliser. "
Raul Jimenez had almost levelled earlier for Fulham when a powerful header bounced back off the post shortly before the hour, adding to Crystal Palace concerns, and Glasner later underlined how fitness issues and a congested calendar shaped the approach, particularly with Fulham pushing bodies forward and stretching the home defence.
It ends level at Selhurst. pic.twitter.com/7Xn9YVtInCCrystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) January 1, 2026
Looking ahead, Glasner pointed to a demanding run that will test Crystal Palace and Fulham level further, with little relief in the treatment room. "Now we have three more games in the next nine days. I don't expect any players coming back. It's for us to stick together and make the best of it and get the most points. It's important after three defeats to get this point at home, to break the downwards spiral. Credit to the players for their effort, I could see they wanted more but couldn't. We had to protect them, that's why it was a good point today. "
Marco Silva, analysing Fulham's display after Crystal Palace lost control late on, felt the visitors' approach, particularly once Tom Cairney entered and equalised, merited more than a single point, with Fulham sharper in both halves apart from the spell around Mateta's goal when Crystal Palace enjoyed their main attacking spell.
The Fulham head coach made clear that Crystal Palace and Fulham saw the contest differently, insisting the west London side should have secured the victory. "Definitely (we deserved to win), he told BBC Match of the Day. I believe we did everything to win the game and we deserved it, the chances we created and [the way we] reacted second half after being behind was very good. First half, before they scored, we were in control and doing well, and the reaction with Tom Cairney on the pitch was very good. The players reacted in the way they should, I am very pleased for them, but we should have won three points. "
While Crystal Palace emerged with a point and some relief after recent defeats, Fulham departed feeling two points short despite superior numbers and late chances, and the situation around Brennan Johnson's proposed move from Tottenham to Selhurst Park remains unresolved until Oliver Glasner receives confirmation away from the touchline.
