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By HENRY CLARK Published: 03: 59 AEDT, 10 November 2024 | Updated: 05: 43 AEDT, 10 November 2024 7 View comments They know all about Emile Smith Rowe around these parts. The man known as the ‘Croydon De Bruyne’ was born and raised in Thornton Heath, just a stone’s throw away from Selhurst Park after all. Palace would have known, too, that they could ill-afford to simply gift chances to a player of his quality. Doing so once was reckless. Doing it twice plain ridiculous. Not least on a day where a spate of injuries and suspensions forced Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner to start Marc Guehi in midfield, hand Justin Devenny a senior debut and name two goalkeepers and three teenagers on the bench. Ultimately his patched-up Palace were the masters of their own downfall. They failed to heed the early warning when Nathaniel Clyne’s charged-down clearance landed at Smith Rowe’s feet. On this occasion, Smith Rowe’s first touch was uncharacteristically heavy, allowing defender Maxence Lacroix to dive in and clear the danger. Smith Rowe didn’t have to wait long for his next gift. This time the guilty party was Lacroix, who went from hero to zero when his sloppy pass was charged down by Smith Rowe. Emile Smith Rowe scored as Fulham beat Crystal Palace 2-0 in the Premier League Harry Wilson doubled the lead in the 83rd minute to seal the three points for the Cottagers The defeat leaves the struggling Eagles just one point above the relegation zone  Raul Jimenez slotted the former Arsenal man through on goal and he wasn’t about to pass up a second opportunity, instead finishing confidently past Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson. CRYSTAL PALACE (3-4-2-1): Henderson 5; Chalobah 4. 5, Lacroix 5, Clyne 5 (Doucoure 61, 5); Munoz 5. 5 (Kporha 88), Devenny 5. 5 (Schlupp 74, 5), Guehi 5. 5, Mitchell 5; Kamada 4, Sarr 4. 5 (Agbinone 88); Mateta 5. Subs not used: Turner, Matthews, Ward, Richards, Marsh. Booked: None Sent off: Kamada. Manager: Oliver Glasner 5. FULHAM (4-2-3-1): Leno 7; Tete 7, Andersen 7, Bassey 6. 5, Robinson 7; Pereira 6 (Cairney 82), Berge 6. 5; Iwobi 9 (Reed 88), Smith Rowe 8 (Traore 88), Nelson 6. 5 (Wilson 82); Jimenez 7 (Muniz 75). Subs not used: Benda, Castagne, Diop, Sessegnon. Goals: Smith Rowe 45+2, Wilson 83. Booked: Iwobi. Manager: Marco Silva 8. Referee: Michael Salisbury. The 24 year old celebrated his third goal of the season by putting his finger to his lips in front of the home fans. Not that those instructions were needed given how little Palace’s players gave their fans to cheer about on a bitter autumnal afternoon. ‘I don’t look for excuses. We had a competitive squad today but I have to be honest, Fulham were the better team today, ’ admitted Glasner. ‘We made too many mistakes and gave them the momentum, the chances and goals too easily. This is what we have to accept today. ’ Glasner’s side showed some promise at the start of the second half as Leno denied Daniel Munoz before Devenny, eyeing up a dream debut goal, blazed the rebound over. They were left off the hook, though, when VAR overturned what would have been Smith Rowe’s second of the afternoon for a tight off-side call. That boost rallied the home crowd momentarily but did little to deter Fulham. Instead the day went from bad to worse for Palace inside the final 15 minutes. First, Daichi Kamada flew in high on Kenny Tete, giving referee Michael Salisbury no option but to give the midfielder his marching orders. And then, only a minute after coming off the bench, Harry Wilson put the game out of sight with a composed finish past Henderson. A mention should go to the brilliant assist from Alex Iwobi, who was the best player on the pitch and unplayable at times. Wilson almost capped a brilliant week, which started with a late double from the bench in Fulham’s dramatic win over Brentford on Monday, with a second successive brace. The Welshman’s celebrations were cut short, however, when a VAR check confirmed he had handled the ball in the build-up. Smith Rowe produced a fine finish after capitalising on an error at the back from Palace Smith Rowe found the far corner to break the deadlock and silence the home crowd  Daichi Kamada flew in high on Kenny Tete and was rightly given his marching orders The referee was quick to brandish the red card and reduce the home side to 10 men  Wilson put the game to bed with another calm finish after being played in on goal That failed to spoil a fine afternoon for Fulham who are making a strong case to be considered as genuine contenders for a top six spot this season. ‘We were dominant from the first minute, ’ said Fulham boss Marco Silva. ‘We controlled most of the game well. The thing that pleased me more was the way we moved the ball. ‘We know normally they like to be really aggressive and high pressing team here at home. I think we broke the pressure most of the times and it was really good from ourselves. ’ Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group