Sunderland drops to last after wasting 2-0 lead vs Palace

The winger, who arrived as a permanent signing from Newcastle United in the last transfer window, has started each of Palace’s five Premier League games this season.

Jermain Defoe’s double – just his second and third goals at the Stadium of Light since January 2 – had put Black Cats boss David Moyes within 30 minutes of a much-needed victory in front of a crowd of 38,941.

In the 59th minute Sunderland doubled their lead through a well taken Jermain Defoe half-volley, but Palace replied nearly immediately when Patrick Van Aanholt failed to deal with a long ball forward which was dispatched by Joe Ledley via a deflection to put his side back in the game nearly immediately.

But there was worse to come for the home side deep into injury time when Benteke headed home. leaving Moyes to say: “For us to not have someone deal with Benteke at the death is just incredible”.

Crystal Palace staged a dramatic fightback from two goals down to win 3-2 at Sunderland.

“Benteke is always a threat of course, and he had a couple of chances”.

Sunderland lost Steven Pienaar to an apparent hamstring injury, while Benteke continued to cause problems and hit a thumping volley over the crossbar.

But it was the hosts who had the first decent chance against the run of play when van Aanholt sent a low cross into the box only for Defoe’s flick to go wide.

Ledley gifted Sunderland the lead six minutes before the break with a woeful pass back to James Tomkins who did not expect it and striker Defoe nipped in to poke home with a trademark finish.

Their latest defeat might have been easier to stomach had Palace scored three world-class goals; instead, all three strikes were extremely soft from a Sunderland perspective.

Victor Anichebe came on for his Sunderland debut with five minutes left, along with Wednesday’s two-goal hero Paddy McNair, but it was Palace who remained the more unsafe, and while Andros Townsend failed to find the target with a late shot, the visitors claimed a winner in the fourth minute of stoppage time. His first touch was a great ball.

However, the two-goal advantage did not last long.

Patrick van Aanholt stood off Ledley as he scored Palace’s first, and was easily out-jumped by McArthur as the visitors levelled.

“Connor made a difference when he came on, Zeki created a goal and so did Chungy, and it shows the margins that playing in a confident side can have”.

“His teams are magnificent, he brought a continental style here that no one else brought, he had a year where they never got beat in the Premier League, amazing”.