SWANSEA survived a late onslaught at Selhurst Park but Crystal Palace were finally unable to break down a stubborn Swans defence.
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| Both sides had chances but neither could break the deadlock |
Palace had started the day knowing a win could lift them above Tottenham to finish 2015 in the top four, a remarkable feat given they started the year in the bottom three.
Swansea made eight changes in an effort to drag themselves away from the relegation zone, and looked more solid as a result, holding Palace to only three shots in a dreary first half that yielded no shots on target.
The home side looked strongest in wide areas, with Wilfried Zaha on the right and left-back Pape Souare both putting in delightful crosses, but Marouane Chamakh was unable to make anything of either.
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| Lukas Fabianksi made several fine saves to keep the scores level |
Lacking a focal point in attack, Pardew made a change at half-time by pulling off the French striker and bringing on Paddy Bamford to try to break down a stubborn Swansea side.
Palace immediately forced the first save of the game, Brede Hangeland flicking on Yohan Cabaye's cross, but Lukas Fabianski made a superb save.
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| Yohan Cabaye was booked for his part in a first-half spat |
Alan Curtis threw on Gylfi Sigurdsson and Ki Sung-yueng to try and take control of the game, and they briefly did, forcing Palace to do some defending, and even forcing Wayne Hennessey into his first save.
Both sides had chances to win the game, but it was Alan Pardew's side who finished the game stronger, with Zaha missing a golden opportunity in the last minute of normal time.
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