IF points were handed out for cussedness, Iain Dowie's men would surely be safe by now.

As you might expect, for large parts of Saturday's game against Manchester United, Palace were on the back foot, but the defensive duo of Fitz Hall and Gonzalo Sorondo held firm, even after the 64th minute dismissal of Vasilis Lakis, to secure their side a precious point.

Some eyebrows had been raised earlier in the season when Dowie chose to jettison club captain Tony Popovic in favour of the imposing Uruguayan Sorondo, but few could now question what appears to have been a masterstroke.

Sorondo was magnificent on Saturday and, with the help of the unorthodox yet mightily effective Gabor Kiraly, managed to repel everything United had to offer, which in the event was not a great deal, as Dowie acknowledged after the game. He said: "It's a hugely significant result for us.

"It was a big performance against the best attacking side in this division.

"In the end they had all their big hitters out.

"That said, I don't think they created a plethora of chances, and I don't think we were hanging on.

"You don't ever have to question these lads, because they always give you their utmost."

Lakis was maybe a little too eager to impress his boss, and was rightly sent off after collecting his second yellow card for a trip on United skipper Roy Keane, who was one of several below par performers for the visitors.

But even when Sir Alex Ferguson replaced the ineffective Alan Smith with Wayne Rooney after 70 minutes, Palace's concentration and resolve never faltered, and they deservedly picked up a point that would have been more valuable had West Brom and Blackburn not won on Sunday.

The Eagles certainly rode their luck at times, never more so than in the 20th minute when the linesman's late flag halted Keane in his tracks, to the general bafflement and anger of the United players and their manager.

Minutes later, Smith went to ground in the box under a clumsy challenge from Emmerson Boyce, but Mark Clattenburg erred on the side of caution and compromise by awarding a corner.

As the pressure on the home side intensified, Ruud van Nistelrooy tested Kiraly with a downward header.

In the second half, the usually prolific Dutchman was also presented with two glorious chances, but on both occasions, much to the relief of the noisy home crowd, he was uncharacteristically wasteful.

The Palace players' reward for their dogged draw is a weekend of recuperation and relaxation, before they return to league action on Saturday week with a trip to Stamford Bridge to meet champions elect Chelsea.