SOBS ON PALACE

The Lads welcomed the Eagles to Wearside (at three o'clock on a Saturday - what's the world coming to!) and came back from behind once again to claim three points and maintain our unbeaten home record.

With AFCON a day away from its conclusion, we could reflect on the input of our players. While Diarra and Talbi's sides meet tomorrow, the former won't play after collecting too many yellows, while the latter probably won't start as the manager seems to prefer others. All of which means "only" Traore and Masuaku returned broken. We'll see neither until March, apparently.

We've been comparatively quiet in the transfer window (so far), with winger Ta Bi (I'm sure there's a suitable song) arriving from Israel. Let's ignore his previous parent club's financial leanings and welcome another for the future, as Joe Anderson left for Barrow, and Tutierov goes on loan for first team football at Exeter. Oh, and Blondy the pointless keeper has gone to Boulogne. On the bright side, Aji Alese is back in training and played 45 minutes for our under-21s against the Mags.

The fatigue - mental as well as physical - that the Christmas programme, augmented by AFCON, brought, and which caught up with Everton last week, has also affected Palace. Injuries, AFCON, a dozen games in little over a month led to that result against Macclesfield - but we'd need to stay calm and avoid the backlash that should follow an FA Cup exit like that - especially as holders. As for us, would Alderete (mentally knackered at Brentford?) come back to batter Matete, or would Luke stay in the side? Hume or Mukiele? Cirkin or Reinildo?

In the crowded environs of the Museum Vaults, we found out.

Roefs

Hume Alderete Mukiele Ballard Reinildo

Xhaka (c) Sadiki

Le Fee Mundle

Brobbey

... and a bench of Patto, Neil, Cirkin, Geertruida, Rigg, Isidor, Adingra, O'Nien, and Mayenda.

An attacking defence, I think. After getting through the longest queues I've seen at the North Stand (and passing some even massiver ones on the east side) I was in just in time for the foghorn. Big crowd, as ever, and up for it, even if we did face north and Palace, in gold, kicked off. The first five were all us, with a corner on our right coming to nothing, but almost going disastrous when Xhaka of all people gave it away to allow a run on our goal, but Roefs was up to the task. Thankfully, and he pulled off another save a minute later as Palace seemed quicker to anything loose.

Mundle pinged one through but it was a yard too far for Brobbey as it seemed that everyone in our back five had licence to attack, with Hume spending a good while in central midfield.

Enzo hit a free after another (there'd been a few) wrestle on Brobbey, but a Palace face got in the way. We were living on the edge defensively, playing the sort of passes that would deserve a punch from your own keeper on a Sunday morning - but we were getting away with it. There was a yellow for another foul on Brobbey near halfway and Enzo set Hume away down the right - the cross was a bit clumsy (shoot, man, Trai!!) but not as clumsy as Brobbey's far post attempt. Never mind.

Another Nordi throw won us a corner when the clamber all over Dan should have brought a penalty - but hey, they'd been pulling Brobbey all over the place and we'd not got a free, so that wasn't a surprise. We slung in a cross from the left but Hume's header at the back stick was wide, just before Palace got their first free - on 28. In it went and, with Roefs looking to be cleverly blocked after his initial punch, it was 0-1.

Boo!

Thankfully, we hit back quickly when Xhaka found Nordi on the right and his low cross found Enzo and the finish was clinical. Boom, 1-1 on 33. That's what happens when we get bodies in the box. After a couple of Palace yellows Ballard put a header wide, but the visitors were very adept at picking up loose balls and created a few chances without really troubling birthday boy Roefs. Matete had a "goal" chalked off as two added minutes were announced, with precious little protest, for handball, or a foul, or because the ref felt like it. Who cares, we went in level - which was about fair, but on another day perhaps half of the fouls on Brobbey would have been given rather than ignored and Enzo could have popped a couple of penalties away.

No changes for the second half, but Hume's pull brought a yellow a few minutes in and a dangerous free to the Eagles - which we cleared. Mundle was giving them problems down our left, and his cross found the head of Hume - saved. Another "no penalty" came ten minutes in as we wondered what the ref had been drinking, but we belted the loose ball high and wide. A foul on Nordi brought another Palace card - and one for our man for being unhappy. Dear me, Mr ref!

Just as we looked to be making heavy weather of things down our left, Mundle got it in after some clever passing, and there was Brobbey with another unconventional finish - right footed, going across the goal towards the left, banged into the roof of the net on 71. See Arsenal at home for comparison - Marvellous, just marvellous.

Five minutes later Brobbey found Hume, and his blast was tipped over for a corner. We allowed Palace to clear it but they overhit the final ball and we breathed a sigh of relief. We had to defend a couple of corners and a string of long throws, which we did reasonably comfortably, but when Omar took a knock the ref ordered him off the field despite the physio not coming on. Eh?

With seven to go, on came Mayenda for Brobbey and five minutes later Cirkin replaced Mundle. A Nordi long throw caused the usual chaos, and their keeper had to get down smartly to his left to prevent our third.

Four added minutes were announced, we defended in depth but still managed a couple of breaks, then the ref got something right - he blew his whistle to signal a Sunderland win. Another three points that we deserved, and a league win when we needed a win.

Fun fact - Palace used no subs. No wonder they looked paggered towards the end

Man of the Match? Brobbey took an awful battering and was a constant pest, but the little magician just gets it for me.

Bon chance, Enzo Le Fee!