Oliver Glasner feels Crystal Palace’s dramatic late victory at Fulham was a fitting payoff for their determination to push forward in the closing moments of a tense encounter at Craven Cottage.
Marc Guéhi powered in a stoppage-time header to clinch Palace’s second Premier League away triumph in just five days, after Harry Wilson had earlier wiped out Eddie Nketiah’s brilliantly taken opener.
Reflecting on another crucial three points, Glasner praised the outstanding travelling support and insisted the Eagles merited the win based on the overall flow of the match.
“It’s a great win here,” Glasner told Palace TV. “Of course it was a tight game.
“What makes me really proud is that, although we were lucky in one situation when their goal was ruled out. But for me, the longer the game went on, the more likely it felt like we were to win it.
“We were playing forward, creating some nice attacks and creating chances – then we get the game winner from a set-play.
“A huge credit to the players and thank you to our fans who pushed us and supported us right until the end, we kept going.
“That’s why I think, at the end, we deserve to win.”
While Glasner highlighted the collective spirit that carried Palace over the line, he reserved special praise for one standout performer.
“For me, the man of the match was Nathaniel Clyne,” he said. “He didn’t start for months now. When I heard yesterday that Dani [Muñoz] can’t play, I told him that he will start.
“Then performing like the way he did, at 34 years of age. He’d not had much rhythm, not a huge amount of team training.
“He’s been doing a lot of training in groups of seven or eight. So to show this performance, it’s just huge credit to him and shows what a great player he is and what a great person he is.”
Guéhi’s last-gasp goal lifted Palace to fourth in the Premier League standings, with only Manchester City, Aston Villa and Arsenal ahead of them after more than a third of the campaign.
But the Palace boss is not overly fixated on the table, instead choosing to relish the level of displays his side are putting together.
“it’s a great picture. But for me, honestly, it’s not really important. For me, it’s the way we are playing, the commitment and always believing that we can get the win.
“I think this is much more important. You can lose a game and drop five positions. But yes, being more towards the top of the table, than at the bottom, it makes life a little bit easier and a little bit more relaxing.
“We are enjoying it, we are enjoying ourselves. This is what we want and what we have to continue to be successful until the end of the season.”