Roefs stands tall as Palace and the promoted Sunderland share a goalless draw.
Crystal Palace were held to a 0-0 draw by newly promoted Sunderland at a damp Selhurst Park, a contest that took a long time to warm up and ultimately hinged on a superb goalkeeping display from Robin Roefs. Palace fashioned the better openings, but their finishing deserted them, while Sunderland’s structure and discipline kept the game in their grasp even as their legs grew tired late on.
Yeremy Pino, making his first start since a £26m move, twice went close from the edge of the box, and then spurned the clearest chance of the first half when Daichi Kamada slid him clean through, only for the Spaniard to drag wide with the goal gaping. The second half opened with Jean-Philippe Mateta forcing the game’s first save in the 49th minute, and from there Roefs became the central figure as Sunderland departed with a first away point and a clean sheet.
Roefs’ heroics underpin a point on the road