Brilliant Palhinha and Solomon take Fulham past Leeds into FA Cup quarters

It says much for Fulham’s progress under Marco Silva that they dropped their standards and still reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. There were a few wobbles, a few worrying moments, but the final score felt right. Leeds United had simply not done enough in the final third and, although there were some encouraging signs for Javi Gracia, he will demand better finishing when they return to west London to face Chelsea on Saturday.

Gracia will know that Leeds need more of an edge if they are going to stay in the Premier League. Their away form remains wretched – only two wins on the road all season – and they still lack oomph in both boxes. Fulham were far more decisive. They could rely on two moments of class, one from João Palhinha, the other from Manor Solomon, and are one game away from a trip to Wembley.

Fulham’s attempt to reach the last eight for the first time since 2010 would start in unconvincing fashion. The touches were loose, the passing not much better, and the initial temptation was to assume that Silva had rotated too much.

There were seven changes from Fulham’s manager and, while it was possible to understand why he wanted to rest some weary limbs, there must have been concern that tinkering was going to backfire after the hosts spent the opening 20 minutes arriving late to almost every 50-50.

The lack of synergy was clear when Andreas Pereira had a go at Manor Solomon after the winger lost out to his marker, Luke Ayling. Leeds simply looked hungrier at that stage. Gracia, who had opened his reign by beating Southampton last weekend, could have few complaints.

There was impressive balance to the Spaniard’s side. Leeds kept luring Fulham into traps, holding their defensive shape before using their pace