Sunderland secured a hard-fought point against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, with a final score of 0-0, thanks to an outstanding performance from their goalkeeper, Robin Roefs. Roefs' heroics ensured that Sunderland frustrated the home side and maintained their joint-highest points tally after the opening four games of a Premier League season.
Crystal Palace, who came into the game undefeated in their opening three games for the first time since the inaugural Premier League season, extended their unbeaten run to ten matches. However, they were unable to find a way past the resolute Roefs, who made a string of impressive saves to deny the Eagles all three points. Despite Palace recording six shots on target, they failed to score in a Premier League home game for the most attempts since April 2022 against Leeds United.
The first half was a cautious affair, with Sunderland seeing more of the ball in the early stages. The first real chance of the match fell to Crystal Palace's Yeremy Pino, who making his first Premier League start since moving from Villarreal, who latched onto a throughball from Daichi Kamada but slotted his effort wide.
The second half saw Crystal Palace increase the pressure, with Jean-Philippe Mateta forcing a save from Roefs early on. Roefs then produced a superb double-stop to deny Christantus Uche and Kamada late in the game, ensuring that Sunderland held on for a valuable point. Kamada's low drive was kept out by a diving Roefs.
Sunderland's defensive resilience was also key to their success, with Omar Alderete also producing some heroic defending. Despite not having a single shot on target, Sunderland's determination and Roefs' brilliance earned them a well-deserved point on the road.
The draw means that Crystal Palace have now registered twelve goalless draws in the Premier League since the start of the 2022-23 season, at least two more than any other team in that time. For Sunderland, the point marks a creditable result away at Palace, and their tally of seven points is their joint-highest after the opening four games of a Premier League season. It is also 70 years since they last registered more points at this stage in a top-flight campaign.
