Sam Allardyce: 'Costel Pantilimon has impressed me'

Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce has said that goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon has been in fine form during his first two months in charge.

The Romanian stopper has helped the Black Cats to keep clean sheets in their last two Premier League games as they picked up crucial wins over Crystal Palace and Stoke City.

Pantilimon made a crucial save in the win against Stoke on Saturday, denying Jonathan Walters the opening goal, and Allardyce says that the quality of the stop impressed him.

"It was an outstanding save," he told the Sunderland Echo. "The goalkeeper is the second most important man in the team, for me.

"After your goalscorer, they're the one who win the points. He's impressed me immensely since I've been here. I think the one chance Stoke got, was a clear-cut, outstanding chance.

"He's put his body on the line at a critical time of the game. Who knows how it would have panned out if that had gone in?"

Sunderland have moved out of the relegation zone following the win.