The London derby at Craven Cottage delivered plenty of Nigerian flair as four Super Eagles stars featured in Crystal Palace’s 2–1 victory over Fulham, Soccernet.ng reports.

Fulham entered the clash still smarting from their chaotic 5–4 loss to Manchester City, while Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace arrived buoyed by a narrow 1–0 win over Burnley. The early exchanges were evenly contested, with both sides battling for control, but Palace struck first after 20 minutes.

Nathaniel Clyne, who was making his first start in more than six months, launched a long pass to Tyrick Mitchell on the left. Mitchell slipped the ball to Adam Wharton, whose slick first-time pass released Eddie Nketiah. The former Arsenal forward calmly slotted past Bernd Leno to give Palace the lead.

Calvin Bassey put in a rugged defensive display, repeatedly shutting down Jean-Philippe Mateta and ensuring the Frenchman rarely found space in dangerous areas.

Alex Iwobi, deployed in a deeper midfield role alongside Sander Berge, still produced a moment of trademark quality in the 37th minute. Receiving the ball in a tight pocket, the Nigerian slipped a clever pass to Raul Jimenez. After a quick exchange with Harry Wilson, the Welsh winger curled a sublime finish beyond Dean Henderson to equalise.

Early in the second half, Samuel Chukwueze nearly created Fulham’s second. The winger burst down the flank and whipped in a cross that Iwobi headed off the bar, with Emile Smith Rowe sweeping the rebound into the net, but VAR intervened, ruling that Chukwueze was offside in the buildup.

Christantus Uche, who had logged fewer than 10 Premier League minutes this season, entered the game in the 66th minute for Palace and almost made an instant impact. In the 85th minute, he connected with a low Mateta pass but fired straight at Leno from close range.

That chance sparked the decisive moment. The resulting corner, taken by Yeremi Pino, found captain Marc Guehi, who powered home a header to restore Palace’s lead.

Fulham pushed late with waves of pressure during six minutes of added time, but the FA Cup champions held firm to secure all three points. The win lifts Crystal Palace to 4th in the Premier League standings, while Fulham remain in 15th.

With the derby wrapped up, Iwobi, Chukwueze, Bassey and Uche will now jet out to join Nigeria’s national team camp as preparations intensify for AFCON 2025.