Rock-bottom Coventry United earn 3-2 win over Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace captain Annabel Johnson was left bemoaning the ease of rock bottom Coventry United’s goals as the South London side suffered a 3-2 away defeat.
The Eagles have suffered back-to-back FA Women’s Championship losses and are seventh in the standings.
Coventry got off to the perfect start by going ahead after just three minutes when Eleanor Ryan-Doyle’s cross found its way to the unmarked Mary McAteer, who finished well.
The hosts doubled their lead in the 20th minute. Katy Morris stuck a leg out at McAteer’s cross and steered the ball in via the bar.
Palace hauled themselves back in the game after 27 minutes when Annabel Blanchard’s chipped in cross from the right was headed in from close range by Elise Hughes at the back post.
Ryan-Doyle restored Coventry’s two-goal cushion three minutes before half-time when she seized on some sloppy play at the back from the visitors before finishing from a narrow angle.
Hughes almost threw the Eagles a lifeline for a second time within a minute of the restart when her header from Polly Doran’s cross came back off the bar.
After increasing the pressure, Palace pulled one back with 10 minutes left. Blanchard slotted past Coventry goalkeeper Keating after being put through by Paige Bailey-Gayle.
Blanchard had a big chance to equalise in the sixth minute of stoppage time when the ball dropped to her in the area, but her shot was held by Keating.
Johnson said: “We’re really disappointed. Congratulations to Coventry, first off, for getting their first win of the season, but we trained hard, we knew it was going to be a challenge, but we’re absolutely gutted with the loss and how we conceded the goals.
“We hold ourselves accountable to very high standards.
“We know mistakes are going to happen with the way that we play, and we accept there are going to be a few mistakes, but those goals were too easy to concede.
“We had a lot of momentum towards the end of the first half and it was just a mistake [for Coventry’s third goal] from the throw-in.
“We all make them, but we go again and we still had the belief at half-time we could get enough goals.
“We got a lot of shots off, we got into the right areas, but we didn’t make the most of our chances.”
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PICTURE: KEITH GILLARD
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