Pierre Sage appears to have saved his job at Crystal Palace for now after his well-drilled side played out a disciplined stalemate against Leeds, writes BOBBY MANZI

Pierre Sage will be breathing a sigh of relief heading into the international break.

The pressure was on as Crystal Palace travelled to Leeds United with whispers suggesting Sage could become the first manager sacked if the performance was unpropitious.

In his post-match press conference, Sage admitted that he felt the pressure. ‘When I read social media, there is big pressure,’ Sage said. ‘I don’t care about it. I do my job honestly, I give my best with my skills and limits and at the end I have no regrets with what I do.’

At Leeds, they may not have won but their second positive Premier League result was a step in the right direction after conceding 11 goals in the first four league games.

Palace defended as a cohesive, disciplined unit - keeping a league clean sheet for the first time in the Sage era.

This was the second time this week Palace did not concede after beating Lech Poznan 4-0 in their maiden Europa League tie on Thursday. But the manner of those defensive performances were entirely different.

Palace were fragile defensively in Europe and offered chances a better attacking team would have taken. On Sunday, though, Palace were rejuvenated.

Leeds scarcely threatened as Palace nullified their frontline. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was denied from six yards after a fantastic stop from Walter Benitez, but aside from that, there were no real nervy moments.

Pierre Sage appears to have bought himself time as Crystal Palace manager

Chris Richards significantly improved against Leeds United after a slow start to the season

Takehiro Tomiyasu, who started at central centre-back and was a standout performer in the first half, was forced off at the break. Their control did not suffer, though, as Jefferson Lerma replaced him and Richards shifted into the middle.

That, in itself, is progress. Palace's back three has changed in every Premier League game this season and, as a result, they have lacked consistency and understanding.

But here, they won their duels and did not give the ball away as cheaply. Jaydee Canvot, who was dropped in the previous two games, improved drastically and made a vital interception in the dying minutes to prevent Calvert-Lewin from bombing through on goal.

Palace had planned to consider Sage's future at the beginning of the three-week-long international break. This performance, though, makes a managerial change implausible and unjustifiable.

The result should settle the nerves and fears. Offensively, Palace were laboured but a boring game with a solid defensive performance is exactly what they needed to restore confidence in the group.

In their five games this season, Palace have either matched or bettered their results from last term against the same opposition. Last term at Leeds, they could not handle the atmosphere and were thrashed 4-1. This time, they were fearless.

Even if Palace had lost at Leeds, sacking him would have been questionable. The offensive ideas are exciting, the defence has just struggled to click.

He has been trying to change the style of play, pressing higher and playing on the front foot and that has exposed the defensive weaknesses. Effective transformation cannot be achieved overnight, though. He requires time to integrate his ideas.

He came into a new job with two of his centre-backs signed in the final week of the window while the club did not purchase a replacement for Maxence Lacroix, relying on Axel Disasi on loan from Chelsea instead.

His other options were Richards, who struggled to settle without Lacroix's presence guiding him through games, and Canvot, a developing teenager who makes the occasional mistake.

For all the problems thrown Sage’s way, he has dealt with them calmly. He deserves time to implement his ideas. At Lens, he showed he can get a team competing above their perceived level, finishing second to PSG and winning the French Cup.

He is a talented, young and progressive manager. That was the right style of appointment in the summer and remains exactly what Palace need. Sacking him would have been premature and the response at Leeds, who are unbeaten this season, proved that.

Daniel Farke’s side, meanwhile, continued their impressive start to the season - remaining unbeaten after five games.

This was a far cry from the free-flowing Leeds played when they bossed Newcastle on Monday night. They were passive and crafted just one clear-cut chance against Palace’s resolute defence. But Farke admitted that it cannot be perfect every week.

‘It’s mixed emotions,’ Farke said. ‘We would have preferred to win but the reality is there are not 38 games with magic nights under the floodlights and champagne football where you overrun the opponent and score goals for fun.

‘Sometimes there are scrappy Sunday afternoons where we must dig in. I liked the clean sheet, extending the unbeaten run and the attitude to fight for every point where we tried to dig in.’

Daniel Farke admitted post-match that his side cannot play 'champagne football' every week after following up their 4-1 win against Newcastle with a goalless draw

His team did show defensive grit, too. Much like Palace, they were disciplined and made it tough for the opposition to break them down.

In goal, James Trafford made five saves and was key to securing a point.

Even though Leeds were heavily fancied, the result is overwhelmingly positive given they were not at their best but still managed to take something from the game. That is often the sign of a good team.

With nine English teams in Europe this season, Leeds should be contending for a European spot - taking advantage of their beneficial schedule while rivals slog through a 50-game-plus season.

The litmus test will come after the international break, though, with tough matches against Arsenal, Manchester United, Sunderland and Bournemouth in October.