Fulham dug deep to snatch a dramatic 2-1 victory at Stoke City, booking their spot in the FA Cup fifth round. Despite controlling much of the action, Marco Silva's men needed second-half magic from Brazilian flair Kevin and skipper-for-the-day Harrison Reed's late poacher's finish to overcome Jun-Ho Bae's opener. Two wins from Wembley, and with lower-tier teams still lurking, Silva might dream of glory, detailed ratings from the bet365 Stadium scrap follow.
Goalkeeper
Benjamin Lecomte - 7.5/10
Lecomte delivered his sharpest outing yet, excelling with precise, forward-thinking distribution that outshone Leno's usual style. Key stops bookended halftime: a feet-first block on Sorba Thomas' crowded low drive and a spectacular fingertip dive to claw Lamine Cisse's curler onto the post. Blameless for Bae's cracker.
Defenders
Timothy Castagne - 2/10
A nightmare shift, 17 turnovers, zero from six crosses (including a glaring second-half whiff with six teammates unmarked), and defensive lapses galore. He gifted Stoke's opener by ball-watching 20 yards offside, letting their winger sprint unchallenged; similar errors forced Lecomte's Cisse heroics. Beaten repeatedly in duels (4/10 won), dribbled past often, and foul-prone, baffling for a Belgium regular.
Issa Diop - 7/10
Covered acres due to Castagne's chaos, yet nailed every one of 55 own-half passes, a marked evolution in reliability, even rusty from cup rotation. Outmuscled Stoke forwards, showed sharp recovery speed, and stayed composed under duress.
Jorge Cuenca - 6.5/10
Strong reading of the game, Spanish-style anticipation snuffed out behind-the-line passes. Led with 12 clearances (double any teammate), solid on the deck too.
Antonee Robinson - 7/10
Step up against Championship pace, eight recoveries highlighted renewed defensive bite and explosive bursts. Linked sharply with Kevin upfront, varying runs for better variety.
Midfielders
Harrison Reed - 6.5/10
Not flawless (poor corners, lacks Berge's pace), but embodied the engine room ideal: instinctive interceptions, snapped up second balls, and rifled home the decider after pinching possession from a keeper gaffe. Far more goal menace than Berge, unfairly sidelined lately.
Alex Iwobi - 3/10
Sloppy beyond belief, especially pre-break, weak passes gifted turnover after turnover, zero creativity post-AFCON. Summed up by a gaping header wide from eight yards; confidence evaporated.
Oscar Bobb - 6.5/10
Slow start with inward drifts from frustration, but ignited post-30 minutes: dazzling turns on counters, 300m+ carried, forced a block on a curling effort. Tireless forward surges.
Forwards
Josh King - 6/10
Quiet early (just 37 touches), lax tracking sparked frustrations, but flashed class: aerial control set up Muniz pre-half, self-made chances post-break. Needed more consistency from a start.
Kevin - 8.5/10 (Man of the Match)
Electrifying standout, endless dribbles past markers, pinpoint crosses begging finishes (Iwobi/Muniz fluffed some). Nearly nabbed a hat-trick: Old Trafford-esque curler clawed away, tap-in missed with King free, but slotted the equalizer coolly. Relentless talent blooming.
Rodrigo Muniz - 6.5/10
Held firm on return to XI, strong link-up eased transitions, but goal drought persisted despite half-chances and a plausible first-half pen shout (hauled down by Phillips). Unlucky vs. Simkin.
Subs
Emile Smith Rowe - 7/10
Replaced King with 15 left, injecting high-octane pressing that sparked the winner via keeper error. Form-fueled intensity.
Raul Jimenez - 5/10
Baffling dip, zero hustle after Muniz's 75-min graft; failed to hassle Stoke's backline.
Harry Wilson/Sander Berge - Too late for ratings.
Marco Silva - 6/10
Navigated cup grind astutely: front-loaded attack (Iwobi/Bobb/King/Kevin/Muniz) sustained pressure for the breakthrough. Timely changes, squad rotation balanced (minutes for Tete etc.). League mystery why positives don't translate more.
