Nigerian midfielder Chrisantus Uche made his highly-anticipated Crystal Palace debut on Saturday, but the Eagles were forced to settle for a 0-0 draw against newly-promoted Sunderland at Selhurst Park, Bold Sports reports.
Oliver Glasner’s side came into the clash boasting the longest unbeaten run of any Premier League side and extended that streak to 15 matches, though they were left frustrated after failing to convert a string of chances.
Sunderland started brightly, pinning Palace back in the early stages and asking questions of Dean Henderson’s goal. However, the hosts soon found their rhythm, with new signing Yeremi Pino twice going close in the first half. The Spaniard’s best chance came in the 37th minute, but he dragged his right-footed effort wide.
At the other end, Sunderland threatened when Chemsdine Talbi broke through, only to be denied by a superb block from Tyrick Mitchell just before the interval.
More Read
The second half opened up with Palace carving out further opportunities. Pino again came close, seeing his effort deflected over by Omar Alderete, before Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs produced a stunning save to keep out Daichi Kamada’s strike in the 73rd minute.
Roefs proved to be the hero once more minutes later, denying Jean-Philippe Mateta from close range. With six minutes remaining, Glasner handed Uche his first appearance for the club, the Nigerian midfielder replacing Pino.
The 22-year-old nearly made an instant impact, meeting a cross at the far post only to be thwarted by Roefs, who also stopped Kamada’s follow-up. Mateta had one final chance in the dying minutes but failed to connect with Marc Guéhi’s header, ensuring the contest ended goalless.
The result leaves Palace in eighth place with six points, while Sunderland’s impressive return to the top flight continues as they sit sixth on seven points.
© Bold Sports Media. All rights reserved. If sharing, kindly credit Bold Sports as the source and include a link to the original post. Unauthorised use is prohibited.
