Match Report Crystal Palace (0) 0-0 (0) Fulham Premier League Match Day 26 2021 Selhurst Park Sunday 28th February 2021    KO: 12:00 Referee: Anthony Taylor (Cheshire) Live on BBC One / BBC iPlayer

Fulham missed the chance to close the gap to safety after being held to a goalless draw at Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon.

Scott Parker's side dominated and created a string of chances at Selhurst Park but failed to make any of them count, letting their nearest relegation rivals off the hook in the process.

Match Stats	C. Palace	Fulham
Goals	(0) 0	0 (0)
Scorers	-	-
Goal attempts	3	16
On target	0	4
Shooting Accuracy	0%	25%
Possession	41%	59%
Passes Success	77%	83%
Corners	1	3
Tackles Success	43%	59%
Saves	4	1
Fouls	10	14
Offsides	1	0
Yellows	1	1
Reds	0	0
source: SkySports

Brighton and Newcastle had both dropped points 24 hours earlier, handing Fulham a big opportunity to drag their fellow strugglers closer to danger.

However, they let it slip, much to Parker's frustration, especially with Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester City next up.

The first half was cagey, with both teams comfortably nullifying each other.

Fulham racked up the passes as they worked the ball from side to side and pushed and probed before failing too often with their final ball.

Well-drilled Palace defended well to keep Fulham at arms' length but without offering too much threat of their own.

Indeed the closest anyone came to scoring in the first half hour was Joachim Andersen almost swiping Andros Townsend's cross into his own goal.

When Alphonse Areola claimed the Fulham captain's miskick it turned out to be a crucial intervention with Christian Benteke lurking behind the Dane poised to convert.

Andersen then threatened goal in more conventional fashion, heading one Ademola Lookman corner wide and then a free-kick from the winger over.

Lookman's deliveries were proving a potential source of a goal for Fulham and from another early in the second half Tosin Adarabioyo headed straight at Vicente Guaita.

Andersen then had another two efforts, scuffing one volley into Guaita's grasp before whipping a low free-kick wide.

Fulham had turned up the intensity and their intent a notch after the interval and former Palace loanee Ruben Loftus-Cheek was next to test Guaita.

The next two Fulham chances fell to just the man they would have wanted them to. Loftus-Cheek's clever touch on ran to Maja who Cruyff turned away from Cheikhou Kouyate but bent his shot wide.

Moments later Maja beat Joel Ward to a cross from sub Ivan Cavaleiro's cross but Guaita flung himself to his left to keep the Fulham striker's header out.

Other than for their finishing, you could not fault Fulham, they sensed their opportunity and were going for it.

Scott Parker chucked on Aleksandar Mitrovic – available again after recovering from Covid-19 – to join Maja up top and tookoff Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, leaving the impressive Harrison Reed as his sole holding midfielder.

Before that Gary Cahill produced a brilliant last-ditch block to keep Fulham at bay before Loftus-Cheek volleyed inches wide.

With three minutes left Fulham's bench had their heads in their hands again when, from Reed's looping cross, Lookman's side-footed volley flew just inches wide.

Maja did similar deep into injury time and, with that, Fulham's hopes of a crucial three points were gone.

Crystal Palace: Guaita, Ward, Kouyate, Cahill, van Aanholt, Townsend, Milivojevic, Riedeweld, Eze (McCarthy 79), Benteke, Ayew

Unused substitutes: Butland, Dann, Mateta, McCarthy, Batshuayi, Mitchell, Kelly, Hannam

Booked: Milivojevic (55,f),

Fulham: Areola, Tete, Andersen, Tosin, Aina (Robinson 46), Reed, Anguissa (Mitrovic 73), De Cordova-Reid (Cavaleiro 66), Loftus-Cheek, Lookman, Maja

Unused substitutes: Fabri, Ream, Lemina, Bryan, Onomah, Kongolo,

Booked: Robinson (83,f),

Referee: Martin Atkinson (West Yorkshire)

Attendance: 0