Jermain Defoe struck 10 minutes from time to earn Sunderland a 1-0 victory away at Crystal Palace.
The prolific forward capitalised on a real mix-up in the Eagles' defence by stealing the ball off Scott Dann and tapping the ball into an empty net.
Palace struggled to create a single clear-cut chance all evening, meaning that they missed out on the opportunity to climb into the Premier League's top six.
Relive Sports Mole's live text coverage of events at Selhurst Park below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Premier League meeting between Crystal Palace and Sunderland. The final game of matchday 13 in the English top flight comes from Selhurst Park, where the hosts will be looking to pick up the win required to move into sixth place.
It is a different matter entirely for the visiting Black Cats, though, who head to South London four points adrift of safety at the wrong end of the table. Sam Allardyce has had two weeks to integrate his style on the training ground a little more, but will we see any difference this evening?
It really is an intriguing fixture to end this entertaining weekend of Premier League football, so let's get straight into things by checking out come breaking team news from Selhurst Park.
TEAM NEWS!
CRYSTAL PALACE XI: Hennessey; Ward, Dann, Delaney, Souare; McArthur, Cabaye; Zaha, Puncheon, Bolasie; Wickham
SUNDERLAND XI: Pantilimon; Coates, O'Shea, Kaboul, Jones; Cattermole, M'Vila; Defoe, Larsson, Aanholt; Fletcher
Sunderland have not named an unchanged starting lineup since May 2014, so it comes as little surprise to see Sam Allardyce change things around once more. The Black Cats boss can call upon John O'Shea and Lee Cattermole once more, with the latter returning to the fold for the first time since picking up a groin injury against Everton earlier this month.
It looks as though Cattermole will sit deep alongside Yann M'Vila in the heart of Sunderland's defence, which could prove to be an almighty task against Palace's attacking talents who simply love drifting into those central positions in the hole. Further up the field, Steven Fletcher starts up top, looking to build on a run that has seen him score three in his last four meetings against the Eagles.
In terms of the home side, the big news surrounds striker Connor Wickham who will face off against his former club this evening. The Englishman spent four years at the Stadium of Light, but he is now a Palace player and will no doubt be eager to make his mark having been given the nod up top.
Wickham will be joined by Wilfried Zaha, Jason Puncheon and Yannick Bolasie, who each put in a real shift at Anfield a little over a fortnight ago to help their side to a famous win. Key man Yohan Cabaye also starts in the engine room, 10 days on from the attacks which rocked his French homeland.
BENCH WATCH!
CRYSTAL PALACE SUBS: Speroni, Kelly, Ledley, Jedinak, Sako, Chamakh, Bamford
SUNDERLAND SUBS: Johnson, Lens, Graham, Toivonen, Yedlin, Mannone, Watmore
There is a place on the bench for Duncan Watmore, fresh on the back of signing a new four-year deal at Sunderland. The youngster impressed for England Under-21s this time last week, and he will surely play a part at some stage this evening. Patrick van Aanholt, Jermain Defoe and Seb Larsson are all back in the starting lineup, meaning that Adam Johnson and Danny Graham have to settle for back-up roles.
A lack of real options forced Pardew to name a starting lineup without a recognised striker last time out, but he can now call on Wickham up front. Marouane Chamakh is also back in the matchday squad, while Patrick Bamford remains desperate to prove himself at this level. Bakary Sako will be disappointed to have missed out tonight, meanwhile, dropping down to the bench for Wickham to come in against his former side.
Sunderland striker Steven Fletcher has scored three goals in his last four appearances against Crystal Palace
Well Palace head into this game sitting in a rather indifferent position of 10th place, but the current compact state of the Premier League means that they could end the evening up in sixth. The Eagles have been going about their business in an efficient manner under Pardew this term, yet it arguably wasn't until they held Manchester United and beat Liverpool recently that many began to take notice.
That 2-1 triumph at Anfield really was a fine away performance, coming against a Liverpool side in a buoyant mood following an unbeaten start to life under Jurgen Klopp. It took Palace's points tally up to 19 from their opening 12 games, which represents their best ever return at the start of a Premier League campaign. Pardew's Newcastle struggles seem a lifetime ago at the moment.
It could get even better for Palace, too, because - without tempting fate here - they face Sunderland and Newcastle in their next two fixture which could provide them with a chance to put even more points on the board. Pardew is an ambitious manager who will be looking to match his fifth-place finish with the Magpies three years ago, knowing that the top flight is as open this year as ever before.
Palace's Achilles heel arguably comes here at Selhurst Park, though, where they hardly boast the most impressive of records. While the South London outfit's away form reads as just two away defeats in their last six outings, at home it is just three wins in the last 10. They now have a chance to put that right over the next week or so with two winnable fixtures.
DID YOU KNOW? Palace can hold claim to having the joint-fourth best defensive record in the Premier League. Their clean sheet stats are not exactly the greatest - just three all season - but an average of one goal against per game is enough to put them among the division's big boys. Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal lead the way, if you were wondering, while Stoke City are also right up there.
While Palace may currently be flying, or at least will be with a win here tonight, it is a different matter entirely for a down-and-out Sunderland. These poor starts to a campaign, followed by a dramatic late recovery, are becoming all too familiar in the North East for a fanbase expecting so much more from their players.
This may indeed feel like a case of same old for Sunderland, but this is in fact their second-worst start to a Premier League campaign. On the one occasion that they had collected fewer points than their current tally of six, they went down with a paltry total of just 15 points in 2004-05. Make no mistake about it - Sam Allardyce really does have his work cut out turning his side's fortunes around.
To make matters worse for the Black Cats, they face the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool over the next month. One win in their last 15 Premier League games makes for some grim reading, leaving them four points adrift of safety heading into this evening's Selhurst Park showdown and in desperate need of another victory.
There is a little over 20 minutes to go before we get underway in South London, so why not check out what the Sports Mole team had to say when previewing tonight's fixture
While that gap of four points may worry a few supporters, there is no denying that Sunderland have manager who is well cut out to turn their season around. Sam Allardyce is as no-nonsense as they come, boasting the skillset required to lead a team from danger and into mid-table obscurity. I'm sure that every Mackem in attendance this evening would bite your hand off at the suggestion of a 13th-place finish come May!
Allardyce has not quite had the desired effect since taking over at the Stadium of Light in truth. There was the memorable - and now annual - thrashing of rivals Newcastle United a month back, but that aside the wins have remained as few-and-far between as they were when Dick Advocaat was still at the helm.
Having now had two weeks to put his own spin on things, however, we may now see something a little closer to an 'Allardyce side' this evening. The former West Ham United boss has certainly looked to change things around by making three changes in the middle of the park, bringing in some more attacking impetus to the starting lineup.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! There is not a great deal to separate these two sides in terms of past encounters, with Sunderland coming out on top 16 times and Palace earning bragging rights on 14 occasions. There has been a 90th-minute goal in three of the last four meetings, meanwhile, so we can perhaps expect some late drama this evening.
With kickoff fast closing in, let's check out what both managers have had to say in the build-up to tonight's encounter under the Selhurst Park floodlights.
Alan Pardew: "I never fancy my chances against an Allardyce team. He's got a knowledge and a respect from me that I will take into the game. If anyone is going to resurrect their season it will be Big Sam. He's a great choice because he knows the division. I know every time I come up against an Allardyce team I know they have what they are trying to achieve in place and he has a team that know how to play Premier League games, he's going to go and try and win the game."
Sam Allardyce: "My philosophy has always been you start from the back, and it goes without saying every team which wins the league has the best defensive record. When we are a conceding on average over two goals a game, that is the first thing which we have to stop and the players have to understand that. If they think it is a negative, it is not, it is a massive positive because as soon as you don't concede a goal you don't lose the game, then you have got a point and of course afterwards you only need one goal to win it."
Interesting comments from Allardyce in particular, who has talked in the build-up to this one about a need to shore up at the back. The Black Cats have conceded 26 times in their opening 12 games of the Premier League season, leaving them above only Bournemouth in terms of the amount of goals shipped - simply not good enough.
A chance for both managers to reach milestone figures this evening, too, as Alan Pardew closes in on Premier League win number 100 and Allardyce moves in on victory number 150. Both teams will be desperate to come out on top for different reasons, of course, with Palace closing in on a European berth and Sunderland simply needing to remain in touching distance of safety.
Both sets of players are now out onto the field and going through the pre-match pleasantries. John O'Shea is back in the Sunderland team this evening and leading his side out, sporting the club's unique luminous green and yellow away kit.
Sunderland really need to turn around their poor start to the campaign, starting with a win at Selhurst Park tonight:
As with every fixture in the Premier League this weekend, La Marseillaise belts around the ground ahead of kickoff. A particularly tough moment for Yohan Cabaye, while it is also worth mentioning that Martin Kelly was in Paris at the time of last week's attacks
KICKOFF! Sunderland, showing five changes from last time out, appear as though they are going with three at the back this evening. Big Sam looking to flex his tactical muscle, it seems.
An early opening for Fletcher, who gets on the end of Defoe's knockdown inside the box before blasting over. The little-and-large partnership working there, albeit in the opposite manner intended. Good start by the visitors.
Palace fielded something close to a 4-2-4 formation at Anfield a fortnight ago, but there is no sign of that here with Wickham back in the team. The Eagles have had a couple of early corners which Sunderland have dealt with in a pretty straightforward manner.
A very energetic start from the home side, who earn themselves a third corner inside the opening six minutes. Delaney met it in the front-post area, but his attempt was well wide in the end.
Sunderland were pretty quick out of the blocks with that half-chance for Fletcher, but since then they have struggled to string more than a couple of passes together. A very narrow Black Cats side this evening, who are without traditional winger Adam Johnson.
Sunderland play a dangerous game by trying to pass their way out of defence. Coates did really well under pressure, and from that move the Black Cats make their way forward. Some space opens up in midfield, with Van Aanholt being slid in at an angle, only to smash his first-time attempt wide of goal.
SHOT! Such an open feel to this game over the past few moments. Palace have had the better of possession so far, but Sunderland have just had their third shot of the evening - this one just about the closest yet. Cattermole thread the ball through to Defoe, who took a touch inside the box before fizzing one narrowly wide.
SAVE! Sunderland break well through Defoe and Fletcher, but the Scotland international gets his final pass out to Larsson all wrong and the move breaks down. That signals the start of a Palace counter, which ends with Bolasie skipping away from one challenge and testing Pantilimon right down the middle with a simple enough stop.
A real horror clash of heads between O'Shea and Bolasie leaves a lot of spectators squirming, but the collision does not appear to be as bad as first feared. Both players are now back to their feet after a short stoppage in play.
Van Aanholt stands his ground very well when left one-on-one with Zaha down the Palace right. Things appear to have quietened down a little now following a very bright start to the contest in terms of action up both ends.
Twenty minutes played and still no goals at Selhurst Park. Both sides have had a couple of shots each, while Bolasie registered the only attempt on target a few minutes ago with a tame strike down the middle.
Palace have scored the most goals from set-piece plays in the Premier League this term, while also conceding the most. Both sides have found themselves in possession in dangerous areas from free kicks so far, but there has been no way through.
Defoe does very well to get away from Souare and Delaney, forcing the latter to bring him down right on the edge of the area. Not a penalty, but a dangerous crossing position this for the visiting side. Can they make the most of it?
SHOT! The free kick is taken short, where it eventually finds its way to an unmarked Jones on the edge of the area. He connects well with the ball, but it hits a couple of bodies in the congested box and is cleared away.
The Black Cats have remained strong at the back so far, though their opponents have not quite clicked into gear just yet
This Fletcher-Defoe partnership certainly looks as though it could bring Sunderland some more attacking joy, but the front duo have gone off the boil somewhat over the past 10 minutes. Not a great deal happening at the moment, with the frenetic start making way for a more tame contest.
SHOT! McCarthur picks up the ball in the middle of the park, before running and running and getting a shot away from 25 yards out. It looked to be just about on target but, like Bolasie's strike a little earlier, Pantilimon dealt with it in a straightforward enough manner.
Palace are currently seeing a fair bit of the ball - 62% of it, in fact - but they are not creating any real clear-cut chances. Sam Allardyce will be happy enough with what he has seen, but his side need to make the most of the gaps opening up in their opponents' half.
Zaha works his magic out on the left, floating a cross into a central position which O'Shea flicks on. Bolasie flicked the ball back into a dangerous position, but the flag was up for offside to the relief of Sunderland's defenders.
Not enough fluency to Palace's game at the moment. Sunderland have not had a great deal to do at the back, which they now need to use as a platform to push on in attack. Three points are there for the taking tonight.
All very scrappy at the moment, with very little action in the final third of the field. Half time is fast closing in and there is no real sign of that opening goal, as Puncheon concedes a free kick high up the field.
Sunderland defend another free kick well enough, but there hopes of breaking quickly up the other end come to a half when Ward clatters into Defoe. The Palace defender is a little fortunate to avoid seeing yellow.
Zaha gets the better of Van Aanholt for the first time and delivers a very good cross into a central position, which is headed into the path of Cabaye. The Frenchman has smashed them home numerous times from 18 yards out, but this one ends closer to the corner flag than the back of the net.
Two minutes to be added on at the end of this first half. Van Aanholt plays a heavy ball back to his keeper, yet Pantilimon did well to clear his lines in the end under some Palace pressure.
Cattermole plays a fine pass through to Van Aanholt, who is the furthest man forward for the visitors. A poor first touch lets him down, though, with a corner all Sunderland have to show for this last move of the half.
Kaboul goes to ground under the challenge of Ward, and he looks to be in some pain. The centre-back is hobbling around a little, meaning that he may not emerge for the second half.
HALF TIME: CRYSTAL PALACE 0-0 SUNDERLAND
A goalless first half at Selhurst Park, then - not the worst 45 minutes of football you will see but it has been far from a classic. Palace have just about edged things so far, with a couple of tame attempts on goal, yet the visitors will probably be feeling the happier at this stage.
The first 20 minutes of the contest were very open, as both teams seemingly took it in turns to get bodies forward. Fletcher skied a half-chance over the bar inside the opening couple of minutes, while Defoe also fizzed one wide from just inside the box. Up the other end, McArthur and Bolasie had long-range drives kept out in a straightforward manner by Pantilimon.
Palace may be looking the more livelier of the two sides to make a breakthrough, particularly through Zaha's crossing ability, but Sunderland will be happy with the way this one is panning out. They have kept things tight, and now Allardyce will surely be thinking about going on and winning this game.
The selection choices of both managers could prove key in how this second half pans out, so let's remind ourselves of the back-up options available to Messrs Pardew and Allardyce.
BENCH WATCH!
CRYSTAL PALACE SUBS: Speroni, Kelly, Ledley, Jedinak, Sako, Chamakh, Bamford
SUNDERLAND SUBS: Johnson, Lens, Graham, Toivonen, Yedlin, Mannone, Watmore
Pardew can call upon Marouane Chamakh, back in the squad this evening following a recent layoff, while Patrick Bamford and Bakary Sako are also options. Allardyce could turn to youngster Duncan Watmore, meanwhile, fresh on the back of handing him a new long-term deal, or maybe look to add some further width through Adam Johnson.
The players are now making their way back down the tunnel, with the second half just moments away.
RESTART! We are back underway at Selhurst Park. There is news of a change to bring you from the interval; Bakary Sako replacing Jason Puncheon for this second half.
Bolasie almost finds himself through on goal, but a heavy touch takes him away from goal and eventually the ball runs out of play. Sako just playing off Wickham now, incidentally, taking over from Puncheon.
Palace started this half the brighter, keeping the pressure on their opponents with a few balls whipped in from wide positions. Sako's cross goes straight through the box, before Ward smashes well over the target.
OFF THE LINE! The closest we have come to a breakthrough goal in South London, as Coates heads a corner towards the bottom corner, only for Cabaye - positioned on that far post - to clear away on the line. That's why you put a man on the post!
SAVE! This contest has come to life once more! Finally a goalkeeper is forced into making a real save, as Cabaye's swerving shot is pushed to one side by Pantilimon. No Palace player around to meet the rebound, so a let off for Sunderland moments after almost taking the lead up the other end.
YELLOW CARD! Jones is correctly shown the game's first yellow for lunging in on Bolasie. The ever-present will now miss his side's next fixture.
YELLOW CARD! Palace still awaiting their first real clear-cut chance, which has evaded them in the opening 56 minutes or so of this evenly-balanced match. Defoe has just been shown yellow for dissent.
CLOSE! Palace turn the screw, with Cabaye at the heart of it. The Frenchman starts the attack which ends with Sako bending the ball no more than a yard wide of the far post. Good attempt from the half-time sub.
SUNDERLAND SUBS! Sam Allardyce makes a big call, introducing Duncan Watmore and Jeremain Lens for Fletcher and Larsson. The visitors are clearly here for all three points, not just the solitary one.
Defoe, Watmore and Lens appear to be remaining high up the field in a brave-looking front three. A searching pass over the top almost saw Defoe clean through, but Delaney just about got a leg to the ball to divert the danger.
It has been an entertaining second half thus far, albeit with just the one Yohan Cabaye shot on target so far. Still too tough to call, as Wickham almost latches on to a well-taken corner. Twenty-six minutes left to play at Selhurst Park.
YELLOW CARD! Watmore's introduction already paying dividends, as his ball-carrying run is brought to an illegal halt by Delaney who earns a yellow card as a result. The resulting free kick is smashed straight into the Palace wall.
YELLOW CARD! From that Sunderland free kick Palace break up the other end through Zaha, who uses his trickery to burst through. M'Vila is more than happy to bring the winger down and earn himself a caution. That's what you call taking one for the team.
CRYSTAL PALACE SUB! Patrick Bamford is brought on for Sako. The half-time sub pulled up with a hamstring injury, bringing his evening to a disappointing end.
Sunderland are giving Palace's wide players plenty of space to burst into, but that is the risk they are willing to run. Kaboul and Van Aanholt have stood up to the test fantastically so far this evening, as we enter the final 18 minutes or so of this goalless affair.
SAVE! Another shot on Palace for target from Palace, this time via the boot of Bolasie. It was once again smothered eight down the middle by Pantilimon, though, who has not had a great deal to do all evening.
CHANCE! Sunderland's best opening of the night by some distance. Jones failed to really connect with the ball when picked out, but it fell nicely to Lens whose shot was kept out down low by Hennessey - the first save the Welshman has had to make.
CRYSTAL PALACE SUB! Chamakh is introduced in place of a tiring Wickham. The former Sunderland striker hasn't had a great deal of influence this evening, as Defoe blasts an attempt over the bar.
Wilfried Zaha is tackled by Younes Kaboul in the first half of this goalless clash at Selhurst Park, which remains evenly balanced heading into the final 10 minutes.
GOAL! CRYSTAL PALACE 0-1 SUNDERLAND (JERMAIN DEFOE)
It's an absolute howler at the back for Palace, to surely gift Sunderland three massive points! The ball through the middle for Defoe was simple enough to deal with, yet Dann just let it run through, deciding against putting his foot through it, but the Black Cats striker got a toe to the ball first. Hennessey had already rushed out of his area, so Defoe was left with the simple task of tapping into an empty net.
SAVE! Pantilimon is called into action to keep out Cabaye's ferocious drive. Sunderland just happy to sit back now, knowing that they are seven minutes away from their second away win in 18 games.
SUNDERLAND SUB! A big blow for Sunderland, this, as Defoe's ankle buckles when landing awkwardly to spell the end of his evening. Could be a spell on the sidelines for the prolific forward, who is replaced by Danny Graham late on.
Pantilimon punches away a free kick to relieve some of the pressure building on his side. Probably around eight minutes left to go at Selhurst Park when taking into consideration added time, so they will have a few more anxious moments between now and full time.
SHOT! Watmore has done brilliantly since coming on, eating up some more valuable time for his side. Palace come forward again once more, though, with McArthur firing Bamford's pullback tamely into the hands of Pantilimon.
We are into the first of five added minutes in South London. Palace happy to launch the ball now as they go all out in their pursuit to rescue a late point. Plenty of away fans glances at their watches already!
Coates heads away a dangerous cross to keep his side's lead intact. All three of the Black Cats' centre-backs have particularly stood up to the test this evening.
Sunderland can eat up some more time after winning a free kick. Palace win the ball back eventually and look to charge forward, playing the ball down the right but seeing their attack end before they could ask any real questions of Sunderland's backline.
Lens is the latest to win a free kick for his side, moments after Watmore showed his naivety in looking to charge through on his own when he could have kept hold of possession. Sixty seconds left to go at Selhurst Park.
Zaha wins a free kick just outside the area. What a huge moment this could be in both sides' seasons, in what is the final kick of the game. We have played 96 minutes in South London...
Cabaye fires the free kick into the side-netting. That will be that.
FULL TIME: CRYSTAL PALACE 0-1 SUNDERLAND
So there we have it! Sunderland pick up three hugely important points in their survival push. The evenly-balanced contest looked to be heading towards a stalemate, until Jermain Defoe capitalised on a real mix-up in the Eagles' defence by stealing the ball off Scott Dann and tapping the ball into an empty net.
Palace struggled to create a single clear-cut chance all evening, meaning that they missed out on the opportunity to climb into the Premier League's top six. For Sunderland, on the other hand, they are now just one point from safety and no doubt on a real high ahead of some tough fixtures to come.
That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events at Selhurst Park. Be sure to join us tomorrow as we bring you commentary from every Champions League game across Europe. See you then!
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Premier League Table
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS | |
| 1 | Liverpool | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 6 | 13 | 25 |
| 2 | Manchester CityMan City | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 21 | 11 | 10 | 23 |
| 3 | Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 19 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 20 | 12 | 8 | 18 |
| 5 | Arsenal | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 18 |
| 6 | Aston Villa | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 17 | 15 | 2 | 18 |
| 7 | Tottenham HotspurSpurs | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 22 | 11 | 11 | 16 |
| 8 | Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 17 | 14 | 3 | 16 |
| 9 | Fulham | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 13 | 1 | 15 |
| 10 | Bournemouth | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 12 | 1 | 15 |
| 11 | Newcastle UnitedNewcastle | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 15 |
| 12 | Brentford | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 19 | 20 | -1 | 13 |
| 13 | Manchester UnitedMan Utd | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 12 | -3 | 12 |
| 14 | West Ham UnitedWest Ham | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 13 | 19 | -6 | 11 |
| 15 | Leicester CityLeicester | 10 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 14 | 18 | -4 | 10 |
| 16 | Everton | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 17 | -7 | 9 |
| 17 | Crystal Palace | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 13 | -5 | 7 |
| 18 | Ipswich TownIpswich | 10 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 21 | -11 | 5 |
| 19 | Southampton | 10 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 7 | 19 | -12 | 4 |
| 20 | Wolverhampton WanderersWolves | 10 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 27 | -13 | 3 |
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