Paul Lambert admitted he was happy to come away from Selhurst Park with a point.

It was a day when the Championship's best performing away team came up against a side that is proving to be difficult to beat on their own patch, despite their lowly position.

'I knew it would be tough because they are fighting for their lives. I am delighted we have gone up to second, which is a phenomenal achievement from the lads at the minute. I said to them if you can't win the game make sure you don't lose it and that was certainly the case.

'It's extraordinary what they have done.'

It might have been different had Grant Holt not blazed a shot over late in the game, but the City boss refused to blame his skipper.

'It was a chance, half a chance, but the ball has still got to come down – sometimes they go in sometimes that's what happens,' he said.

Palace boss Dougie Freedman admitted his heart was in his mouth when he saw Holt lining up the shot.

'The last 10 minutes, with the energy we out in, we gave them very little opportunity so when it did fall to him it would have been difficult to take had it gone in,' he said. 'I don't think it would have been the right result, but again best top players, like Grant, you really have to be on it.

I thought we broke on them very well. We had a few chances against a top team and when I assess it maybe we were unlucky not to get the three points.'