Fulham came from behind with a strong second-half showing to beat Championship high-flyers Middlesbrough 3-1 and book their place in the FA Cup fourth round.
Second-half goals from substitutes Harry Wilson and Emile Smith Rowe, followed by Kevin’s first goal for the club, overturned Hayden Hackney’s opener as Marco Silva’s side made their Premier League quality count at Craven Cottage.
Middlesbrough, who sit second in the Championship, started brightly and took the lead on the half-hour.
Sam Silvera produced a moment of skill inside the area, exchanging passes with Aidan Morris before nutmegging two defenders and squaring for Hackney to finish calmly.
The visitors looked comfortable for much of the first half, though Fulham came close late on when Luke Ayling was forced to clear Jorge Cuenca’s first-time effort off the line from a Harrison Reed corner.
Fulham struggled to build momentum after the interval and Silva reacted decisively, making a triple substitution just 11 minutes into the second half.
The changes paid off almost immediately.
Less than four minutes after entering the fray, Wilson curled a superb left-footed strike into the corner from the edge of the box to level the tie.
Middlesbrough nearly responded straight away, but Tommy Conway’s effort crashed against the crossbar.
That proved a turning point.
Fulham took control moments later when Tom Cairney found Smith Rowe in space inside the penalty area, and the midfielder made no mistake with a composed finish past Sol Brynn.
There was still time for Kevin to cap the comeback, the Brazilian winger tapping home from close range after another fine delivery from Wilson to seal Fulham’s progress and extend their run of reaching the fourth round for a seventh consecutive season.
Wilson’s impact off the bench proved decisive, with the Wales international involved in all three goals as Fulham ultimately showed their class after a testing first-half display against a confident Middlesbrough side.
