Report: Palace Women grab huge win away at Bristol City

Summary:

• Potter names the same team that beat Birmingham City 3-0 last time out in the WSL2.
• 5: Ward has a half chance but her effort is off-target
• 12: Howat tries her luck from outside the box, but Bentley is equal to the strike
• 24: GOAL - Palace take the lead through Hughes' back post header
• 29: Syme's effort is well blocked by the Palace defence
• 44: The hosts are awarded a penalty after the ball was adjudged to have struck Howat's arm in the box
• 45+1: GOAL - Hardy equalises from the spot
• HT: Bristol 1 - 1 Palace
• 51: GOAL - Howat restores Palace's lead via a deflection
• 52: GOAL - Bristol hit back immediatedly through Syme
• 64: Bentley saves well from substitute Larkin
• 74: GOAL - A long ball finds Larkin in behind and she finishes superbly
• 76: Super stop from Yañez denies Lloyd-Smith
• 87: Bentley can only punch away Blanchard's free-kick
• 89: Lloyd-Smith is unmarked at the back post, but heads wide
• FT: Bristol 2 - 3 Palace

The Eagles had to take the lead three separate times, but a 74th minute goal from Abbie Larkin earned the Eagles a fifth consecutive win in all competitions.

Elise Hughes opened the scoring midway through the first-half, before a Rio Hardy penalty in added time had the sides level at the break.

Kirsty Howat scored six minutes into the second-half only for Palace to be immediatedly pegged back by an Emily Syme volley.

Larkin entered the field as a substitute, and got the eventual winner on 74 minutes after Shae Yañez set her free with an accurate long ball.

Palace took the lead on 24 minutes with a flowing team move, finished off superbly by Hughes.

A raking pass from Jamie-Lee Napier found Ashleigh Weerden on the left-side, who then played a wonderful one-two with Annabel Blanchard.

Weerden crossed first time and her pinpoint pass was met by the head of Hughes at the back post.

Despite the Eagles' first-half dominance, they went in level at the break.

Yañez got down superbly well to save from Sille Struck's header, and Aimee Everett's resulting clearance was adjudged to hit the arm of Howat.

Hardy converted from the spot, and it was 1-1 at the half-time whistle.

Potter's side came out firing in the second-half and retook the lead on 51 minutes, courtesy of Howat.

Molly-Mae Sharpe was picked out on the right wing, and cut the ball back to the Scotland international in the box.

It looked as if the Bristol City defender had tackled Howat, but Palace's number ten wriggled away and let fly.

The ball deflected off of another defender and looped over Fran Bentley to restore Palace's lead.

Palace's lead was to last for just a minute however, as captain Emily Syme struck back with a wicked volley from inside the box.

The Eagles were pegged back once more, and substitute Larkin was brought on for Howat.

64 minutes on the clock and the Ireland winger almost put Palace ahead after she was set through by a long ball, but Bentley stood tall and denied her.

Larkin was not to be denied a second time though, and she made it 3-2 to Palace on 74 minutes.

After making a routine stop, Yañez picked up the ball and fired it up the field and over the Bristol backline.

Larkin raced on to her goalkeeper's pass and prodded the ball over Bentley and into the corner of the net.

It was nothing more than Palace deserved, and the defence held firm to claim a massive three points in the South West.

The win marked the last WSL2 fixture of 2025 for the Eagles, with Palace's next league game coming away at Sheffield United on the 11th January, 2026.

This result moves Palace up to fifth in the league, just three points off of a promotion spot.

Potter's side are not quite done for the year however, with a huge Subway Women's League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal this Sunday, at the VBS Community Stadium in Sutton.

Click the button below to secure your spot for Palace Women's final game of 2025!

Bristol: Bentley (GK), Struck (Lawley, 82), Ingle (Losada, 81), Hardy, Lloyd-Smith (Hibbert-Johnson, 90), Ward, Syme, Farrugia (Jones, 65), Dafeur, Saez, Bennett

Subs not used: Williams (GK), Powell, O'Leary, Meena, Morgan

Palace: Yañez (GK), Napier, Cato, Everett, Sharpe, Hughes, Howat (Larkin, 58), Weerden, Blanchard, Hopcroft, Swaby

Subs not used: Browne (GK), Arthur, Sibley, Brown, Nolan, Riley, Bailey