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      Report & Highlights: Palace Women put four past Blackburn in a dominant display

      Crystal Palace Women
      4
      Blanchard 7'
      Atkinson 49'
      Arthur 86'
      Hopcroft 90+4'
      0
      Blackburn Rovers Women

      A dominant display at the VBS Community Stadium fired Crystal Palace into second place in the Barclays Women’s Championship as they defeated Blackburn Rovers 4-0 this afternoon.

      Summary:

      • Potter, Blanchard and Atkinson all come back into the starting XI
      • Blanchard opens the scoring after only seven minutes
      • Hopcroft is denied by Brooks eight minutes later
      • Lambourne comfortably collects a long-range free-kick
      • Sharpe, Blanchard and Hughes all denied by Brooks in first-half stoppage time
      • HT: Palace 1-0 Blackburn Rovers
      • Atkinson doubles Palace’s lead four minutes after the restart
      • Reilly finds Sharpe inside the box but her shot is well saved
      • Arthur bags her first Palace goal to make it 3-0
      • Hopcroft seals the win deep into stoppage
      • FT: Palace 4-0 Blackburn Rovers
      Women's Highlights: Crystal Palace 4-0 Blackburn Rovers

      Palace took control of proceedings from the get go and it only took them seven minutes to open the scoring.

      Molly Sharpe charged down the right and whipped a well-weighted cross into the box for Annabel Blanchard to nod safely home.

      Shanade Hopcroft should’ve doubled Palace’s lead eight minutes later as Sharpe continued her dominance down the right by whipping in another perfect cross but Hopcroft’s first-time shot was well saved.

      A cross turned shot from Fliss Gibbons flew into the box and tested Alex Brooks in goal on the 25th minute but the ‘keeper was equal to the ball.

      Katie Bradley tried her luck with an adventurous long-range free-kick but Demi Lambourne got to down to collect with ease.

      Palace had three great chances inside the first-half stoppage time as looked to take a two goal into the break.

      The first chance saw Blanchard find Sharpe inside the area with a low cross but her first time strike sailed over the goal.

      The two combined again seconds later with Sharpe setting up Blanchard but her shot was brilliantly saved by the 'keeper.

      Gibbons saw an effort blocked on the stroke of half-time with the loose ball finding Elise Hughes inside the area but her shot was also collected by the Blackburn 'keeper.

      Palace picked up from where they left off after the restart and Izzy Atkinson finally got the second goal her side had been looking for.

      Blackburn failed to clear Hopcroft’s dangerous corner kick and Atkinson was on hand inside the six-yard box to flick the ball home to make it two goals in two games.

      Substitute Kirsten Reilly then whipped a terrific low cross deep into the Blackburn box and into the feet of Sharpe but her first time attempt was well saved.

      Chloe Arthur came off the bench to bag her first Palace goal as she made it three for the Eagles on the 86th minute. Brooks got down to save an initial shot from Hughes, but Blackburn failed to clear the ball and Arthur was on hand to fire it home.

      Hopcroft sealed the victory deep into stoppage time as she rifled a shot into the roof of the net following a dazzling run from Araya Dennis down the right.

      Palace: Lambourne (GK), Percival (Reilly, 67), Everett, Nolan, Gibbons, Potter (Arthur, 75), Hopcroft, Blanchard (Filbey, 81), Sharpe (Larkin, 81), Atkinson (Dennis, 67), Hughes

      Subs not used: Negri, Johnson, Guyatt, Sibley

      Blackburn: Brooks (GK), Robertson (Hutchings, 82), Silcock, Coan, Murphy, Chandarana, Bradley (Walters, 60), Williams (Doyle, 82), Thomas (Maxwell, 60), Hornby (Knox, 86), Shepherd

      Subs not used: Salgado, Richards, Taylor, Dahou