Jason Puncheon was the Selhurst Park hero on Saturday as his goal not only ended a barren run of no Premier League wins in 2016, but also took Crystal Palace a giant step closer to survival.
With six games to play, Punchoen's goal, his first of the season, opened a 10-point gap between the Eagles and the Black Cats in the final relegtion place.
Boss Alan Pardew said: "I was as nervous as I have ever been in football.
"Sometimes the media can keep drilling it into you and in the end you are carrying that burden.
Crystal Palace goalscorer Jason Puncheon reveals relief after ‘emotional’ Norwich City winner
"I wanted to calm them down at half-time and they delivered for me."
He added: "We are four points from mid-table and that is where we should be.
"If we can finish as high as we can then we can still get 11th. That's what we want to hunt down."
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