OLIVER GLASNER’S farewell tour looks in danger of becoming nothing more than a long and drawn-out wake.
As nightmare weeks go, Crystal Palace’s will take some beating.
It started with the FA Cup holders suffering humiliation at non-league Macclesfield before two bombshells rocked the club on Friday.
Fans were already lower than a snake’s belly after boss Glasner’s confirmation he was leaving was followed up by the news skipper Marc Guehi was off to Man City.
And they were left reeling once more after blowing the lead to lose 2-1 at Sunderland.
Yeremy Pino got the Eagles off to a flyer on Wearside, but for all their spirited showing, Enzo Le Fee and Brian Brobbey sent them packing down to London licking their wounds.
From the highs of beating Manchester City in May to land the club’s first trophy, to the embarrassment of being dumped out the FA Cup by Macclesfield, it has been some plummet.
And with the sense things could quickly turn toxic and the danger of their season coming off the tracks, ending Sunderland’s proud ten-match unbeaten home run looked to be a tall order.
Though the Black Cats, who have stuttered without their AFCON stars to record just one win in eight top-flight games, desperately needed a pick-me-up themselves.
But they almost gifted the visitors a dream start when captain Granit Xhaka, of all people, gifted the ball to Pino to charge goalwards.
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The Spaniard squared to Jean-Phillipe Mateta, who looked certain to score, but Robin Roefs recovered well to save.
There were question marks whether Palace’s French forward, desperate for his own big move this month, would even play.
But he showed his commitment to the cause with several big headers to clear a flurry of Nordi Mukiele long-throws.
Set-pieces, of course, have been one of Palace’s biggest downfalls this term with 12 of their 24 goals conceded coming from them.
And it should have been 13 when the unmarked Trai Hume nodded wide from a corner.
Relief for Glasner and his patched-up defence, which included midfielder Jefferson Lerma as Guehi’s replacement, and soon they had a goal of themselves to cheer.
Roefs, who has rivalled Xhaka as Sunderland’s best summer recruit, flapped and Will Hughes’ corner and his weak punch fell perfectly for Pino to hold off Le Fee and curl into the top corner with the outside of his right foot.
It was a lead that lasted precisely three minutes. Mukiele’s cross from the right was left by Brobbey, allowing the free Le Fee to sweep home.
But Mateta was proving to be a real handful. He brilliantly held off Dan Ballard to put it on a plate for Tyrick Mitchell only for the full-back to head wide.
For all the talk of a European push, Sunderland’s own season was in danger of petering out too.
With this game followed by clashes with West Ham and Burnley, the opportunity was there for the taking to reignite their push for the top.
Hume forced Dean Henderson into a diving stop after the break as the hosts finally began to get going.
But it was Brobbey’s magic finish that ended their own five-match Prem winless streak. Noah Sadiki wriggled clear of his marker to get the Dutchman in behind, and he expertly hit it on the bounce over the ‘keeper to clinch it.
