Crystal Palace Under-18s recovered from a three-goal half-time deficit to claim a point against Fulham in a dramatic 3-3 draw in the U18 Premier League South on Saturday morning.
The visitors, unbeaten in the division, took control during the opening stages, although Palace created opportunities of their own. Arthur O’Keefe was denied in a one-on-one situation, while further efforts from O’Keefe and Jamar Lee went close as the hosts began to find their rhythm.
Fulham nevertheless struck twice in quick succession. A loose ball in the six-yard box allowed Aiden Evans to open the scoring before William Sutton-Bangura’s driven delivery took a touch off Alfie Mulvenna and found the bottom corner. Evans then doubled his personal tally shortly before the interval with an outstanding long-range finish over Rosen Modev, leaving Palace 3-0 down at the break.
The visitors continued to threaten after half-time, with Modev producing an excellent save to keep out Anand Batra’s effort following a flowing Fulham move. Palace refused to surrender, however, and Lee gave the comeback momentum with a superb volley into the top corner.
Oladotun Lamidi reduced the deficit further just a minute later, cutting in from the left and curling a precise effort into the top-right corner. Donte Martin then completed the turnaround with a similarly impressive finish from the left side, sending a dipping shot beyond the goalkeeper to make it 3-3. Neither side could find a winner during a frantic conclusion, leaving Palace and Fulham to share the points.
Javier Alonso made four changes from the side that faced Arsenal, bringing Rosen Modev, Kwasi Baah, Jamar Lee and Sebastian Bonsu-Amako into the starting XI. Palace’s next fixture is against Leeds on October 10th.
