May 17 2004

Michael Hughes celebrates after scoring the winning penalty

Crystal Palace made it to the Division One Play-off Final with a penalty shoot-out win at Sunderland after the scores finished 4-4 on aggregate.

The Eagles went into the semi-final second leg at the Stadium of Light holding a slender 3-2 lead from the first match at Selhurst Park.

They settled best in the opening minutes of the game and could have gone in front with two good opportunities.

Keeper Mart Poom came out to block Julian Gray's shot from five yards, then Aki Riihilahti's header hit the post in the sixth minute as Gray fired the rebound over the bar.

Andy Johnson and Danny Butterfield went near to opening the scoring for the Eagles, who were hardly threatened by the Wearsiders.

But three minutes before the break, Sunderland produced a goal out of nothing as Kevin Kyle controlled Jason McAteer's cross on his chest before shooting past Nico Vaesen.

Worse was to follow as they made it 2-0 two minutes into first half stoppage time. Marcus Stewart powerfully headed in McAteer's cross from the right hand side.

It pushed Sunderland into the driving seat as they opened up a 4-3 lead on aggregate.

The Eagles desperately tried to get a goal back to level the tie - Gray had two chances, while Neil Shipperley nodded wide.

Then Gray was shown the red card in the 86th minute for a second bookable offence after a foul on McAteer.

It looked all over for 10-man Palace until Darren Powell headed home Shaun Derry's corner inside stoppage time to peg it back to 2-1 on the night and 4-4 on aggregate.

With the score goal-less in extra-time, it went to a penalty shoot-out. Palace blew two chances to win it as Sunderland goalkeeper Mart Poom saved spot-kicks from Derry and Wayne Routledge.

The seventh Sunderland penalty was then missed by Jeff Whitley and Palace's Michael Hughes made no mistake to send the Eagles to Cardiff.

Penalty shoot-out

0-0 Oster (hit post)

0-1 Johnson (scored)

1-1 Smith (scored)

1-2 Freedman (scored)

2-2 Babb (scored)

2-3 Shipperley (scored)

3-3 Robinson (scored)

3-4 Popovic (scored)

4-4 Breen (scored)

4-4 Derry (saved)

4-4 McAteer (saved)

4-4 Routledge (saved)

4-4 Whitley (saved)

4-5 Hughes (scored)

Sunderland: Poom, McCartney, Breen, Babb, Bjorklund (Williams, 105), Oster, Jeff Whitley, McAteer, Thornton (Robinson 69), Kyle, Stewart (Smith 84).

Subs not used: Clark, Myhre.

Bookings: Kyle, McAteer, Oster, Robinson.

Palace: Vaesen, Granville (Powell 72), Leigertwood, Popovic, Butterfield (Freedman, 61), Gray (sent off 86), Hughes, Riihilahti (Derry 58), Routledge, Shipperley, Johnson.

Subs not used: Berthelin, Black.

Bookings: Derry, Gray, Hughes, Popovic, Shipperley.

Red card: Gray.

Attendance: 34,536.