Crystal Palace manager Neil Warnock hailed his defence after they secured another clean sheet in the goalless draw against Cardiff.

The Bluebirds had the better chances throughout the match but found the Eagles backline putting their bodies on the line to block shots time and time again.

It was the eighth time this season, all under Warnock, that Palace have not conceded and Warnock hailed that statistic.

He said: "At the back apart from the first half today I think we've been as good as anybody in the league. The back five have been super, all the team defend from the front as well.

"I think tonight was a game of two halves, we were a lot more positive in the second half but the substitutes helped that."

Warnock brought on Dougie Freedman and Sean Scannell just after the hour mark and they changed the game as Palace got themselves on top for the first time in the match.

Warnock said: "We wanted some cuteness with what Dougie's got and I felt that Scannell could do the full back if we played the ball over there.

"He was back tonight Scannell. He's like every youngster, hot and cold. He's been a little bit off his game of late, a little down on training.

"Tonight I thought he was right on the bench with the warm up and everything and he looked bright-eyed. I said to him in the first half "made to measure for you this", having said that it was made to measure for me in the first half."

The opening 45 minutes held few chances for either side, with Palace trying to pass through the Cardiff defence without much penetration. They failed to manage a shot on target and the closest they came was a Clinton Morrison header over the bar.

Cardiff put some nice moves together, the best coming in the ninth minute when Palace were pulled apart by a neat one-two that saw Trevor Sinclair flash a volley across the box.

Julian Speroni then pulled off a superb save to push Roger Johnson's header around the post.

Palace were forced into a change in the middle of the half when winger Paul Ifill's injury jinx struck again and he was replaced by James Scowcroft.

Paul Parry and Kevin McNaughton wasted good chances for Cardiff after the break, with Palace not registering a shot on target until the 60th minute when Ben Watson's drive bobbled through to Peter Enckelman.

The game changed soon after though with the introduction on Freedman and Scannell.

Scannell in particular caused Cardiff problems down the right and immediately found himself one on one with the keeper but scuffed his shot under pressure.

Cardiff were unlucky not to take the lead when teenage substitute Aaron Ramsey hit the post from 20 yards, before a superb solo run from Scannell saw him shoot wide.

Two of the best chances of the match then fell to both sides as Morrison put a free header over from six yards from Watson's corner and Parry found himself alone in the box after Johnson knocked down a corner but Speroni blocked.

Palace were the most likely to score in the final stages but failed to test Enckelman and had to settle for a draw that did little for their play off ambitions.