Crystal Palace boss Alan Pardew was frustrated by his side's failure to create chances as they lost 1-0 at home to stubborn Sunderland.

The Eagles struggled to break down Sam Allardyce's five-man defence despite enjoying plenty of possession before succumbing to a late Jermain Defoe winner. 

Former Sunderland striker Connor Wickham led the line for Pardew's men while Marouane Chamakh returned from injury as a second-half substitute, but Palace were largely limited to long-range efforts as they missed the chance to move up to sixth.

Their manager said: "We fell down tonight. We overdid it a few times in wide areas. We should have been a little bit more simplistic but had a few more ideas and put a little bit more pressure on that back five.

"We had a lot of territory, a lot of possession, and really not created a great deal. We struggled to get in an around their goal frame and therefore we've come away with a defeat."

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Yannick Bolasie tries an overhead effort inside the Sunderland box.

Pardew added: "It's a different sort of problem to us and in a way a kind of compliment to us that teams are going are going up come up and put three midfield players sitting on top of the five and say, 'Come on then, break us down.' And unfortunately we couldn't find a way tonight. 

"It is a painful loss for us."

Forwards Wickham and Chamakh both lacked sharpness and struggled to impose themselves on the game, with Pardew admitting the Moroccan international may have returned to action a week too soon following a hamstring injury.

He said: "Chamakh is a player that I sensed might be important tonight but it was probably just a game too soon for him.

"It was Connor's first game back today and he probably ain't as a sharp as he should be."

He added: "It's an area that has been a problem this year at home. When teams come onto us we enjoy it a little bit more, I won't deny that, but we have to find solutions for a home and we've got another chance on Saturday to see if we can."

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Jermain Defoe takes advantage of hesitation from Palace defender Scott Dann to steal the ball and score Sunderland's winner.

Pardew's team occasionally looked vulnerable on the break as they looked for a way past Sunderland's three centre-halves, but it was an error of judgement from Scott Dann led to Defoe's 80th-minute goal.

The Palace defender tried to shepherd to ball to Wayne Hennessey but his indecision allowed Defoe to nip inside and nick it past the goalkeeper.

But the Eagles boss refused to single out the centre-half for criticism, saying: "Scott Dann has been fantastic for us but he just read that situation wrong.

"He tried to sort of ease Jermain away and Jermain checked his run and got the other side of him and then he was always in trouble. 

"It was a bit risky but then really he shouldn't have been in that position; Yannick tried a trick in midfield and it was stuff like that was happening tonight where we should have been cleaner and more incisive really, especially in the last third."