Fulham Rescue Point As Cairney Comes Off The Bench In 1-1 At Crystal Palace

Tom Cairney stepped off the bench to secure a 1-1 draw for Fulham at Crystal Palace, cancelling out Jean-Philippe Mateta’s first-half header at Selhurst Park on 1 January 2026. Both sides then missed late chances in a frantic finish to the Premier League contest.

Mateta’s goal suggested Palace would start 2026 with three points, yet Fulham responded strongly after half-time. Raul Jimenez struck the post, Cairney equalised with a precise low strike, and Timothy Castagne plus Joachim Andersen both wasted clear openings as the points were shared.

Palace moved ahead in the 39th minute when Nathaniel Clyne delivered a superb cross from the right. Mateta met it with a powerful header for a first league goal since 30 November, easing pressure after eight

Premier League matches without scoring from open play.

Earlier in the first half, Marc Guehi marked a 150th Premier League appearance for Palace with an almost decisive moment. After tidy footwork in the box, Guehi forced Bernd Leno into an important save from close range during a generally cautious opening period.

Fulham came close soon after the interval when Antonee Robinson swung in a measured cross from the left. Jimenez met it with a guided header that beat Dean Henderson but rebounded off the left upright, keeping Palace’s narrow advantage intact for a little longer.

Cairney eventually dragged Fulham level with a fine finish from the edge of the area. The substitute collected possession outside the box and bent a low effort into the corner, leaving Henderson static and giving the visitors renewed belief during the closing stages.

The visitors could even have taken victory in stoppage time. Castagne broke clear for a one-on-one opportunity but saw a curling attempt pushed away by Henderson. Soon after, former Palace defender Andersen fired over from around eight yards, squandering another potential winner.

We start 2026 with a point on the road. pic.twitter.com/4Kyh82XD28Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) January 1, 2026

Fulham vs Crystal Palace draw: data debrief and key stats

Cairney’s strike continued a notable pattern in London derbies. Each of Cairney’s last three Premier League goals came as a substitute in capital meetings, after efforts against Tottenham in December 2024 and Brentford in May 2025, underlining Fulham’s reliable impact from the bench.

Fulham’s substitutes stayed productive overall. Since the beginning of last season, only Brighton, with 23, recorded more Premier League goals from players introduced during matches than Fulham’s 22. That output reflected a consistent strength in depth for the west London side across recent campaigns.

Mateta’s header offered overdue relief for Palace supporters. The forward had last struck in the league during a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United in late November, while the previous open-play goal arrived against Brentford at the start of that month, before an eight-game barren stretch.

Jeffrey Schlupp had been the last Palace player to score at home against Fulham, back in February 2019, so Mateta’s breakthrough also ended that sequence. However, the draw meant Palace remained without a win in four Premier League fixtures, or six matches in all competitions.