LONDON :Late-game heroics from goalkeeper Robin Roefs left Sunderland to share the spoils with Crystal Palace in a 0-0 draw on Saturday.
The 22-year-old Dutch keeper made six saves on the afternoon and came to Sunderland’s rescue particularly in the second half to deny Daichi Kamada, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Christantus Uche at a rain-drenched Selhurst Park.
“From the start we knew what we are capable of,” Roefs told the BBC. “We really fight as a team, we are really happy with our start and it is up to us to continue this.
“We are not just a team who wants to defend, we have some players who are really good with the ball. We showed we are really good fighting for each other.”
Sunderland have seven points from four games in their return to England’s top flight.
The match stretched Palace’s unbeaten run to 15 games in all competitions, and marked the first since captain Marc Guehi was almost signed by Liverpool at Monday’s transfer deadline before Palace chair Steve Parish pulled the plug.
A supporter posted a photo on social media on Saturday of Guehi walking onto the pitch with the cheeky caption: “EXCLUSIVE: A Live Photo of Marc Guehi being held hostage at Crystal Palace.”
Guehi, who had scored his first goal for England in Tuesday’s 5-0 World Cup qualifying rout of Serbia, was back in his familiar role on the left side of Palace’s defence on Saturday and was barely challenged.
On Friday, Oliver Glasner rubbished claims that he threatened to quit as Palace manager if Guehi was sold to Liverpool.
“Number one, I never threatened to leave the club. Never,” Glasner told reporters. “And the second thing is, after many discussions, the chairman asked me, ‘Oliver, do you think we can manage the season when we sell Marc?’
“(I said) I think we can’t manage it short term and if we then have three centre-backs, with our schedule, if we have an injury in the back three, I think it’s very, very risky.
“If you want this scenario for Crystal Palace and you are fine with it, sell Marc. If you don’t want to have this for Crystal Palace, then we have to keep him’.”
