A bit of humour here at Selhurst Park as the home fans sing "You're going down with the Palace" to Sunderland fans. They may well be right but if today is anything to go by, at least the Black Cats will be going down with a fight.
90' +2
A Palace corner comes to nothing and Gibson hits it forward looking for Ndong but fails to find his teammate. That won't worry the visitors too much as the ball ends up back with Mannone. Zaha tries some fancy footwork and has a go and it's well parried by Mannone. The ball is back in and Benteke has a go from close range before the 'keeper parries it again, the striker then hits the rebound wide.
90'
Townsend looks for Benteke but it seems to be out of his reach and Denayer manages to get in ahead of him. Four minutes of injury time are set to be added here...and Larsson almost gets his first goal in two years! The Swede from 25-yards out, almost finds the top corner but it's always rising.
87'
Close What a save from Denayer and Mannone as the pair combine to keep out Puncheon's fierce hit. The Manchester City loanee, with Mannone on the line behind him, hoofed the ball clear. Moyes will be desperate for his side to keep their first away clean sheet of the season.
85'
Palace will finish the game with ten men as Dann seems to have picked up a hamstring injury and Allardyce is out of changes. Gibson almost adds to Sunderland's lead as he finds himself in yards of space but his shot bobbles narrowly wide. Less than five minutes remaining here at Selhurst.
84'
J. Puncheon gets yellow.
Sunderland seem happy to sit deep and let Palace come to them. Benteke, who has no more than two yards in front of goal, fails to even hit it on target and it's out for a goal-kick. Palace attempt to take it forward again but Oviedo isn't letting Zaha have anything. It's been a brilliant debut from the Costa Rican.
Jason Puncheon is given a yellow card for a foul.
82'
Moments later, it's Remy again after he takes the ball from Townsend but his shot is tame and fails to trouble Mannone. Sunderland fans are having their own party in the away and what a day it's been for them.
81'
Oviedo looks for Defoe but Dann intercepts well. Remy, who seems to be the only player in a Palace shirt who can leave the pitch with some pride, collects the ball and races forward, the run was decent up until the finish and Mannone will deal with them all afternoon long.
78'
S. Pienaar enters the game and replaces A. Januzaj.
Adnan Januzaj, who is Sunderland's third injury of the afternoon makes way for Steven Pienaar who has recently returned to the fold after recovering from a calf injury. Both managers have now used all three of their substitutions.
75'
Januzaj is down and receiving treatment, Moyes already has a frustratingly long injury bill and the few knocks picked up today will take some shine off the brilliant performance. Thankfully the midfielder looks okay to continue and Kone surges forward before Palace win it back and Townsend whips it in. He took advantage of Kone being out of position and it was the best Palace move of the game, unfortunately for the hosts Zaha's header didn't cause Mannone too much trouble and the Italian got down low with ease to save.
Minute
Description
72'
Van Aanholt and Benteke both stand over the free-kick and the latter lashes it over the wall before Ledley hits it into row Z. A poorly worked move that sees more Palace fans leave. Moments later Januzaj goes agonizingly close to grabbing a goal for himself. Oviedo is frustrated at his teammate's decision but it was inches wide from the midfielder who deserves a goal this afternoon. At the other end of the pitch, Puncheon looks for Remy but Mannone spots the danger well.
71'
L. Koné gets yellow.
Lamine Koné receives a daft yellow card for kicking the ball away.
70'
Ndong and Denayer pass it around the middle of the park for sometime before Januzaj gives it away. Van Aanholt is reluctant to take it forward and Palace take a moment to pass it around the halfway line, somewhat halfheartedly. Lescott brings down Zaha right on the edge of the box, a good opportunity for Palace to restore some pride...
68'
The Sunderland fans are understandably buzzing here at Selhurst Park and are in fine voice. Nobody would have expected this score line as we approach the 70-minute mark. This afternon has seen the visitors produce their best performance of the season by a country mile.
66'
J. Ward gets yellow.
Joel Ward's afternoon goes from bad to worse as he's put in the referee's book for a foul on Januzaj.
65'
It's another unconvincing moment from Mannone as he spills the ball and Benteke is almost in, though thankfully for Sunderland the offside flag is up. The visitors are yet to keep a clean sheet away from home this season. Moments later, Townsend over-hits a cross and Mannone tips it over without any real trouble. The corner is whipped in and creates a scramble before a Benteke overhead kick skies the crossbar.
62'
L. Rémy enters the game and replaces J. McArthur.
James McArthur leaves the field to a chorus of boos from the home support as Loïc Rémy comes on to a quiet reception.
61'
A bit of a lapse of concentration from Sunderland almost creates an opening for Palace. Larsson passes it back to Mannone in the box and it's poorly cleared by the 'keeper but thankfully for the visitors, Jason Puncheon's shot is not hit with any real conviction.
60'
Oviedo attempts to turn Zaha but trips and the Palace man races away with the ball before the referee pulls it back for a Sunderland free-kick. The ball is taken upfield and Oviedo attempts a cross to Defoe who is undoubtedly desperate to get his hat-trick. Palace are playing in a clunky fashion and the fans who haven't chosen to leave the stadium are not afraid to make their feelings heard.
57'
J. Lescott enters the game and replaces J. O'Shea.
John O'Shea has seen the last of his action this afternoon and gives the captain's armband to Jermain Defoe before he makes way for Joleon Lescott, the third Sunderland deubtant of this afternoon.
56'
Ward gives it Zaha who feeds it back to Ward who attempts a cross into the box but instead puts the ball out for a throw. Sunderland momentarily retain possession before Gibson over-hits a pass and concedes a throw. Townsend tries to whip the ball in but it's out by Oviedo and O'Shea is now down and receiving treatment. Moyes uses this break as a chance to deliver a team talk to his players.
53'
Zaha looks to flick it onto Benteke but Kone manages to nip in ahead of him and heads it comfortably to Mannone. The Ivorian, who is not long back from AFCON, has been immense for Sunderland today and Moyes will be thrilled that the club rejected a flurry of January bids for the centre-back.
52'
D. Gibson enters the game and replaces J. Rodwell.
Jack Rodwell who seems to have picked up a knock is forced off and on comes Darron Gibson to make his debut.
50'
McArthur collects the ball on the edge of the box and has what may be Palace's best effort of the game so far but it still fails to test Mannone. Moments later, Kone shows immense pace to retain possession. Further up the field, van Aanholt is not having a good time as he loses the ball to Ndong and is booed yet again by Sunderland fans. Rodwell is receiving treatment in the centre-circle.
48'
Januzaj collects the ball and comes up with an impressive run before winning a throw for his team. Palace fans are furious and the boos are continuing. Allardyce has changed to a back four now and will want his men to go for it as there's not much to lose for them here.
46'
A. Townsend enters the game and replaces D. Delaney.
Damien Delaney, who clashed with a supporter prior to the break, is replaced by Andros Townsend who receives a barrage of abuse from Sunderland fans.
Palace were booed off the pitch and then back onto pitch following the break. Sunderland get us underway for the second-half, what will we see here...
45' +3
J. Defoe has scored a goal for Sunderland! Assist by A. Januzaj.
It's more clever link-up play from Januzaj and Defoe as the loanee delivers the forward the ball for his second goal.
GOAL! It's Sunderland again as Defoe gets his brace! The forward is on fire, he turns Tomkins and shows just how ruthless he really is and his sticks it into the back of the net again.
45' +1
J. Defoe has scored a goal for Sunderland! Assist by A. Januzaj.
Januzaj does brilliant to get away and picks out Defoe well. The Manchester United loanee has received criticism during his spell on Wearside but if he can keep this up all will be forgiven.
GOAL! Just what is happening here at Selhurst Park!? Sunderland are now three goals up. Januzaj takes it forward and picks out Defoe, the striker does amazingly well to put it through the legs of Dann and straight past Hennessey into the net.
43'
D. Ndong has scored a goal for Sunderland!
GOAL! Sunderland double their lead! Ndong picks up the loose ball following a poor touch from Ledley, the club record signing could've chosen to pick out Defoe but chose to have a go himself and boy did it pay off, what a hit it was. From 25-yards he unleashed a hit which bounced off the post and in. What a performance from Sunderland.
40'
Dann catches Defoe and Sunderland are awarded a free-kick in a dangerous position. Larsson takes it and it's away by Benteke but Kone beats Ward to the ball. Palace soon win the ball back and aim to launch a quick counter as McArthur sets van Aanholt racing away but Didier Ndong does very well to win the ball back for the visitors.
37'
Zaha plays into the box early after choosing against to go one-on-one with Oviedo and it's a poor ball from the winger. He must do better as Sunderland will happily cut such deliveries out all day long. Under pressure in the middle of the park Denayer boots it up field and van Aanholt is first to the ball between him and Januzaj.
35'
David Moyes' side are now pressing higher up the pitch as O'Shea orchestrates every Sunderland move from the back. Ten minutes till half-time here in London and the visitors have been the better side. That said, Palace can still easily get back into the game, if they can just find some composure and quality delivery into the box.
34'
A Crystal Palace corner is easily dealt with by O'Shea as Sunderland look to repeat their competent and disciplined performance they produced against Spurs. The ball returns to the Sunderland box shortly after but Mannone does tremendously well to slide in and nick the ball before a red and blue shirt can get to it.
33'
W. Zaha gets yellow.
Wilfried Zaha picks up a cheap yellow card for dissent.
31'
A. Januzaj gets yellow.
No nonese from Andre Marriner at Selhurst Park as he shows no hesitation in booking Adnan Januzaj for a foul on Ledley.
30'
The offside flag prevents what could have very possibly been a second Sunderland goal. Rodwell, unchallenged, managed to gift the ball to Defoe but the forward was caught out by the whistle. Prior to today's game, Rodwell has started 37 games for Sunderland and is yet to win a single one.
29'
Rodwell looks to play it back to Oviedo but the pair fail to communicate well and under Jason Denayer's guidance, Mannone just say manages to clear it. The visitors may well be punished if they continue mistakes like that. Moments later Ovideo tries to take it down the wing and Sunderland take a minute to pass the ball around. Some controlled passing from the visitors and a must better showing.
27'
J. Ledley enters the game and replaces Y. Cabaye.
Yohan Cabaye leaves the field to a rapture of boos from the Sunderland supporters, presumably for his Newcastle days, whilst Joe Ledley comes on to replace him. Ledley scored against Sunderland earlier this season as Palace came from 2-0 down beat the Wearsiders 3-2.
26'
It looks like a promising move for the hosts after Zaha gifts Benteke a decent lay-off, however, the striker's final shot is tame and easily held by Mannone. The striker must do better and he knows it.
24'
Zaha claims another foul, this time from Ovideo. but the linesman ignores his protests and gives a throw-in. Sunderland are struggling to retain position at the moment as O'Shea heads it away. Defoe looks to latch onto a ball but is well challenged by Tomkins. Moyes will want his men to compose themselves before they get too sloppy.
21'
A half-hearted penalty from Zaha is waved away by the referee after the Palace man goes down challenging to get a head on Cabaye's corner. Sunderland clear the ball and Larsson can thank his lucky stalks he's still on the pitch. The midfielder brought down Zaha again as the home fans chant for the Swede to be sent off. He certainly won't be making any more challenges like that. The free-kick is swung into the box and it's a hell of a miss by James Tomkins who failed to properly connect with the ball, Scott Dann was better positioned but failed to adjust in time.
19'
James McArthur attempts a back heel to van Aanholt but the ball is straight out of play. Sloppiness like that is going to cost the hosts if they don't compose themselves soon. Calm heads are needed by the Eagles.
17'
It's beginning to get a bit scrappy here at Selhurst Park as both sides give the ball easily. There's definitely some composure needed in this relegation showdown as Larsson clears the ball and hooves it long for Defoe. Defoe and now Kone are the only men in white shirts to score for Sunderland in the league this season.
14'
Jones does well to cut out van Aanholt's run down the left wing. The wing-back is receiving a feisty reception from Sunderland fans who are in fine voice following that goal. David Moyes will be eager for his men to keep this up whilst Sam Allardyce will be hoping for better. In the middle of the park there's another harsh challenge as Oviedo brings down Zaha.
12'
Palace must come from behind again at home and seek an immediate equaliser. Van Aanholt searches for the top of corner but hits row Z instead. The hosts have lost their last four home games by a one goal margin. Will history repeat itself for a fifth time? The visitors have a long way to go...
9'
L. Koné has scored a goal for Sunderland!
GOAL! To everyone's surprise it's Sunderland who get the opening goal of the afternoon! The Wearsiders have scored just one goal that has come from a set-piece all season and that makes it two! Hennessey claimed a foul from Billy Jones as the right-back looks to have headed it out of his hands but the referee waved away his protests and Kone impromised well to stick it away and send the visiting fans into raptures.
7'
CLOSE! Defoe collected Rodwell's through ball in the attacking third and had to go it alone, the forward did tremendously well to get his shot away and hold off Ward but it was well saved by Hennessey. The resulting corner came to nothing and Palace are able to take the ball out of their own half.
6'
S. Larsson gets yellow.
Jack Rodwell finds Seb Larsson who picks out new boy Oviedo but Wilfried Zaha does well do track back and nick it back. The Palace man attempts a drive forward down the wing but is brought down by Larsson and wins a free-kick. The set-piece is well dealt with by the visitors as they look to find the right tempo.
Larsson is booked on just the sixth minute for his foul on Zaha. A long time for the Swede to walk on a tightrope in such a feisty battle in the middle of the park.
5'
Palace attempt a break but Jason Puncheon's pass to Sunderland's old foe van Aanholt is over hit. The ball is back in the box moments later and after a game of head tennis the visitors can finally breathe as Lamine Kone puts it out for the first corner of the afternoon. Dann's header is safely in the hands of Mannone.
2'
Seb Larsson goes for an early leveller this afternoon as he lets Yohan Cabaye know he's there with a heavy challenge. If that's anything to go by we're certainly in for a heated game. A huge opportunity for both sides.
1'
Palace get us underway at Selhurst Park this afternoon...
Hello and welcome to our live match coverage of Crystal Palace v Sunderland.
It’s a huge game for both teams as they both battle to survive the drop. Sam Allardyce faces his old club after breaking Sunderland hearts to leave for the England job. Palace go into today’s game on a high as Allardyce picked up his first league win at the club away to Bournemouth on Tuesday night. Their last win at Selhurst Park came at the beginning of December so the Eagles will certainly be eager to pick up three points today.
TEAM NEWS:
Sunderland are rooted to the bottom of the table, five points adrift of safety and three points behind opponents Palace. It’s been a rocky ride for David Moyes thus far both on and off the pitch with huge question marks surrounding the club’s finances. However, the visitors will buoyed after picking up a point against second-placed Spurs during the week. Moyes has only won one away game in the league this season which came back in November whilst their last win in the league came the week before Christmas. Sunderland will be out for revenge on Sam Allardyce today so it’s sure to be a feisty affair.
There are no changes to the Palace side who beat Bournemouth during the week as Allardyce looks for for consistency from his men. Patrick van Aanholt is sure to receive a feisty reception from the travelling fans after claiming that his new club are much stronger than the Black Cats. Christian Benteke will be well watched by the visitors, the striker has more goals against today’s opponents than any other side with a total of seven under his belt. Can he add to that tally today?
David Moyes has made two changes from his midweek side who managed a 0-0 draw with Spurs. Loanee Javier Manquillo drops to the bench whilst new signing Bryan Oviedo steps in at left-back as Billy Jones returns to his natural right-back position. Elsewhere Manchester United loanee Adnan Januzaj returns to the lineup in favour of out of form striker Fabio Borini. The bench is the strongest Moyes has being able to name in a while after claiming he was unable to make a substitution in his side’s 3-1 defeat to Stoke due to the poor strength of the substitutes.
Nobody was expecting that from the first-half and it's impossible to tell where we go from here. Incredibly Sunderland are 4-0 up at the break, it's a big deficit and a big problem for Big Sam. The visitors have been absolutely ruthless and better in every aspect on the pitch. It's much better from David Moyes men as every player in a white shirt has done their bit. What a performance from the Black Cats.
Palace have been lackluster throughout the first-half and Big Sam will be furious with his men. The Eagles have been far from good enough and their fans have every right to be aggrieved. The hosts left the pitch to a chorus of boos and a chant of "you're not fit to wear the shirt". Just what will happen in the second-half!?
What an afternoon for Sunderland as the score ends 4-0. It was a brilliant first-half showing from Sunderland, particularly the last five minutes. David Moyes will be delighted with the showing and that all important allusive away clean sheet. The three points sees Sunderland move level on points with Palace and just two points front safety.
Sam Allardyce will be livid with that display from Palace against his own club. From the word go Palace were far from good enough and lacked fight in every department. Nobody expected this rout and it will have certainly knocked the Eagles for six. Just how will Palace come back from this?
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