Crystal Palace’s Women’s Super League (WSL) campaign hit a bump as they suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Brighton at Gander Green Lane. After securing their first-ever WSL win just a week earlier, Palace looked to build momentum, hoping to leapfrog Arsenal in the standings. However, Brighton’s victory pushed them level with league leaders Chelsea.
Palace, managed by Laura Kaminski, started strong and created better chances in the first half but lacked sharpness in the final third. Brighton dominated possession, but Palace was efficient in their limited time on the ball. Unfortunately, Eagles’ goalkeeper Shae Yanez had a costly error in the 35th minute. Brighton’s Jelena Cankovic sent a cross into the box, and Nikita Parris outmuscled Yanez, allowing Bruna Vilamala to score an easy tap-in.
Fran Kirby almost doubled Brighton’s lead before halftime, but Yanez redeemed herself with a crucial save. Palace, despite their second-half dominance, struggled to create clear chances, managing only two shots on target throughout the match. In stoppage time, their best opportunity came when Blanchard’s long-range shot was brilliantly saved by Brighton goalkeeper Sophie Baggaley.
The loss marks Palace’s third defeat of the season, leaving them eighth in the table after four games. Their next challenge is an away trip to Liverpool.
Lineups:
– **Crystal Palace:** Yanez; Green, Everett, Veje, Gibbons (Sharpe 89); Cato (Atkinson 89), Potter, Blanchard; Riley (Larkin 71), Stengel, Gejl (Weerden 80).
– **Brighton:** Baggaley; Thorisdottir (McLauchlan 61), Bergsvand, Carabali; Kirby, Losada, Cankovic (Symonds 39), Olislagers; Vilamala (Seike 61), Parris (Auee 90), Bremer (Agyemang 61).
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