Pierre Sage appears to have saved Crystal Palace job after stalemate against Leeds United, writes BOBBY MANZI

· DailyMail

BOBBY MANZI AT ELLAND ROAD:

Pierre Sage will be breathing a sigh of relief heading into the international break.

The pressure was on as Crystal Palace travelled to Leeds United with whispers suggesting Sage could become the first manager sacked if the performance was unpropitious. Sage, himself, admitted feeling the pressure.

They may not have won but their second positive league result of the season was a step in the right direction after conceding 11 goals in the first four Premier League games.

Palace defended as a cohesive, disciplined unit as they kept a Premier League clean sheet for the first time in the Sage era.

This was their second clean sheet of the week after beating Lech Poznan 4-0 in their maiden Europa League tie on Thursday. But the manner of those defensive performances could not have been more different.

Palace were fragile defensively in Europe and offered chances a better attacking team would have taken advantage of.

On Sunday, though, Palace were rejuvenated. Their main problem has been committing too many players.

Both Tyrick Mitchell and Anan Khalaili have been joining attacks, leaving the back three isolated and enabling efficient, punishing transitions.

This was more measured. Palace picked their moments to initiate intelligently and offered Leeds very few chances. That is what the Palace hierarchy wanted to see and Sage adapted adeptly.

There were very few occasions where Leeds looked a threat as Palace nullified their frontline. A fantastic stop by Walter Benitez denied Dominic Calvert-Lewin from six yards but aside from that, there were no real nervy moments.

Palace were even handed a blow in the game. Takehiro Tomiyasu, who started at central centre-back and was one of Palace's strongest performers in the first half, was forced off at half time.

But that lack of consistency did not bother Palace as Jefferson Lerma replaced him and Chris Richards shifted into the middle while their control did not suffer.

That, in itself, is progress. Palace's back three has changed in every Premier League game this season and, as a result, little consistency has been developed in the backline.

But here, they consistently won their duels. Jaydee Canvot, who was dropped in the previous two games, improved drastically and made a vital interception in the dying minutes to prevent Calvert-Lewin bombing through on goal.

Palace had planned to consider Sage's future at the beginning of the three-week long international break but the manner of the performance leaves very little justification for his dismissal.

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