A very late goal from a very acute angle by Fabio Borini rescued what could turn out to be a huge point for Sunderland at home against Crystal Palace as the match-up between the Black Cats and Alan Pardew’s men finished 2-2
Sunderland took the lead in the in fortuitous circumstances as Dame N’Doye’s shot deflected off Scott Dann and past the completely wrongfooted Wayne Hennessey.
However, former Black Cats striker Connor Wickham turned the game on its head around the hour mark, scoring two goals in six minutes to give Pardew’s side the lead.
It looked like they were going to hold on for a huge win, but Borini netted from a tight angle late on which meant it ended with honours even.
The point kept Sam Allardyce’s side out of the relegation zone, although local rivals Newcastle could leapfrog them if they manage to get a point from either of their two games in hand.
Here’s how we rated the performances of the Sunderland players:
Vito Mannone - 7
There wasn’t much that the Italian could do to prevent the two goals that he conceded, but he made some huge stops. The one from Scott Dann’s header stands out.
Patrick van Aanholt - 6
A fairly solid performance by the Dutchman. His battle with Wilfried Zaha probably ended up with honours even.
John O'Shea - 6
O’Shea had a pretty comfortable start to the game but was forced off after half an hour with an injury.
Lamine Kone - 6
Kone defended reasonably well but he’ll be disappointed with how easily Conor Wickham turned him to score Palace’s equaliser.
DeAndre Yedlin - 7 (MOTM)
Yedlin’s pace came in handy against Yannick Bolasie and the American put in a very good performance, although his end product going forward could have been better.
Jan Kirchhoff - 6
Kirchhoff does a decent job protecting the back four but his use of the ball at times can be really frustrating and it was no surprise to see him replaced after suffering from fatigue.
Yann M'Vila - 6
M’Vila put in a good shift but didn’t really impact the game in a way in which he is capable of.
Jack Rodwell - 7
Rodwell started the game really well and was up for the physical battle. He looked a bit leggy in the second half, but that’s understandable seeing as he hasn’t had a lot of game time.
Dame N'Doye - 5
N’Doye got a goal in fortuitous circumstances and looked a bit lost of the right of midfield.
Wahbi Khazri - 5.5
Khazri failed to make much of an impact on the game.
Jermain Defoe - 6
Defoe didn’t really get into the game either. His attempts on goal didn’t really look threatening and Damien Delaney did a good job on him.
Sub: Younes Kaboul - 6
Kaboul replaced O’Shea after half an hour or so and generally played well. He’ll be disappointed with himself after heading over the bar on the stroke of half-time when he really should have scored.
Sub: Lee Cattermole - 6
Cattermole only got 15 minutes of action, despite coming on in the 65th minute. He looked good up until he had to be replaced after suffering a nasty cut above his eye.
Sub: Fabio Borini - 7
The cut to Cattermole led to Big Sam bringing on Borini and the Italian scored a very, very goal to earn a point for his side.