CRYSTAL Palace picked up another point in their survival bid this afternoon, playing out a goalless draw against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
It certainly wasn't a dull affair. Sunderland dominated the first half but the Eagles were better organised in the second and ground out a well-deserved point.
If we're being greedy, Tony Pulis' side could have taken all three points with three chances at the death, with Kagisho Dikgacoi in particular wasting a golden chance to win it.
The result moves Palace onto 28 points in the Premier League.
The hosts had the first chance of the match when Steven Fletcher headed wide under pressure from Adrian Mariappa.
The defender went into referee Neil Swarbrick's notebook soon after for committing one too many fouls, and the with the crowd playing their part, Sunderland were rocking.
Marcos Alonson tested Julian Speroni with an effort from range, before Joel Ward was the second Palace player to be booked after just 12 minutes.
To play against Adam Johnson in particular for the remainder of the match was certainly going to be a tough ordeal for the former Portsmouth man.
Gus Poyet's men were certainly for it and continued to pen Palace back in their own half.
Fletcher's attempted flick towards goal from a left-wing delivery went wrong when he should have done better, while Johnson blasted over after good work from the left soon after.
Ki Sung Yueng then volleyed wide from outside the box following Glenn Murray's headed clearance from a free-kick, but then despite all their dominance, Sunderland nearly gifted Palace the lead.
A pass was played back to Vito Mannone, and as he went to clear, he slipped before kicking the ball low towards Tom Ince.
Clever thinking from the Blackpool loanee saw a volley back towards goal but Mannone had managed to get to his feet in time to save.
Sunderland's dominance had faded heading onto the final 15 minutes of the first half, but they went close when Johnson delivered for Fletcher at the back post but he couldn't connect under pressure from Delaney.
Johnson opened up space for himself following a short corner and took aim at goal, only for the ball to fall at the feet of Phil Bardsley.
The full-back tried get an effort on goal but slipped and then went down under pressure from two or three Palace players.
The home faithful wanted a penalty but instead Swarbrick gave Palace a free-kick.
However, there was no consistency from the official as he failed to book a couple of Sunderland players for fouls on Yannick Bolasie on two occasions, before booking Dikgacoi in the middle of the park for a lesser offence.
Into the second half and within the first 30 seconds, Speroni pulled off a terrific save to deny Fabio Borini's glancing header.
The Italian had already been flagged offside but the custodian was not to know and palmed the ball away.
And Speroni was to Palace's rescue once again moments later when he denied Sunderland substitute Jozy Altidore from close range.
Borini fired over shortly after, while Bolasie shot straight at Mannone after a breakaway involving Ince.
Bolasie then did well down the right before delivering a pinpoint ball to Murray, but the striker couldn't get a clean connection and it fell into Mannone's hands.
Cameron Jerome came on for Murray, while Scott Dann went down with a head injury after colliding with Bolasie on the left touchline.
Amazingly, Sunderland looked to play on with a throw-in before Swarbrick rightly stopped play despite protests from Poyet in the dugout.
Both sides were failing to get a grip on the game at this stage and you would have taken a point for certain quite happily.
Adlene Guedioura came on for the ineffective Ince, and the Algerian's first touch was to tee up Jerome outside the box, but the striker's shot was gathered Mannone.
The Italian stopper then caught Jerome's flick at the near post from Joel Ward's corner.
Wes Brown was next to go into the book for taking out Jedinak, and from the free-kick, Guedioura curled around the wall and wide of the target.
Jason Puncheon came on for Bolasie as Tony Pulis looked for a winner, but it was the hosts who thought they had grabbed all three points when they hit the crossbar.
Borini it was after finding space in the box before rattling the woodwork. Mariappa cleared but the ball was headed back into the mixer and Borini turned on the ball before curling narrowly over.
However, Palace should have nicked all three points in the last minute through Dikgacoi.
Jerome held the ball up superbly in the box from Guedioura's attempted shot and teed up the South African on the right, but he shot just wide of the top corner.
The ball was pumped long and Speroni came racing out of his area to clear, and luckily Dikgacoi was hand on to mop up the danger.
In five added minutes, Joe Ledley shot wide of the up right as Palace looked for a late winner, while Puncheon drove a shot towards the bottom corner, only for Mannone to get down and save.
That proved to be the last chance of the match and the Eagles pick up another vital point in their quest to stay in the Premier League.
And they'll do a similar trip up next Saturday when they visit Newcastle United, just five miles up the road.
Palace: Speroni, Mariappa, Ward, Dann, Delaney, Dikgacoi, Jedinak ©, Bolasie (Puncheon 81), Ledley, Ince (Guedioura 74), Murray (Jerome 63).
Subs Not Used: Hennessey, McCarthy, Thomas, Gayle.
Referee: Neil Swarbrick
By Croydon Advertiser Sports Reporter Mark Ritson at the Stadium of Light
