Sunderland at the start of the season looks just terrible, “black cats” in the championship matches were able to score only 1 point, with goal difference 3: 9 and 19 occupy the position in the table. David Moyes is a fantastic manager.
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After a cagey start, Palace created the better chances in the first half with Benteke a constant menace.
Moyes confirmed that he had been offered the chance to sign former Arsenal and Tottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor, but opted not to pursue it.
Pardew goes on: ‘I think I got a bit of a bargain with James.
Defoe picked it up inside the area on the left, held off the challenge of James Tomkins, and prodded his finish past Delaney and into the bottom right-hand corner.
“For us not to do the basics and not go with Benteke when we’ve given away a poor free-kick is entirely our own fault”, conceded the Sunderland manager, whose side took a 39th minute lead when Defoe pounced on a woeful backpass from Ledley to poke a shot into the bottom corner beyond Steve Mandanda.
Now though, the Sunderland supporters will be expecting both a result and a performance, with that pressure potentially playing into the hands of the visitors if they can make the crowd restless early on. Benteke went close when he almost converted Jason Puncheon’s excellent low cross, while the striker had a tame effort saved by Jordan Pickford soon after.
But Mandanda made a good stop on the hour to parry a shot from Defoe, after Manquillo’s pass was deflected into his path.
Moyes said: “To be 2-0 up at home and lose 3-2 was disappointing”.
Alan Pardew took off Martin Kelly for Zeki Fryers on 74 minutes and Fryers made an instant impression, as just two minutes later, his cross from the left was nodded in by McArthur for 2-2.
Not content with a share of the spoils, Palace pressed for a victor, and were eventually rewarded when Benteke was afforded time and space to head home a free-kick from Lee Chung-Yong.
Stanislas proved Everton’s tormentor-in-chief for the second season running, firing the only goal on the south coast to add to his late brace that stole a 3-3 draw last term.
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Sunderland: Pickford, Manquillo, van Aanholt, Djilobodji, Kone, Cattermole (McNair, 85), Kirchhoff, Ndong, Pienaar (Watmore, 15), Januzaj (Anichebe, 85), Defoe.
