Table-toppers Bristol City condemn Crystal Palace to back-to-back Championship defeats

By Matthew Cox, Sportsbeat

Crystal Palace women suffered back-to-back defeats in the Championship after goals from Shania Hayles, Emily Syme and Abi Harrison gave Bristol City a 3-0 win at the Robins High Performance Centre.

Palace withstood waves of pressure for most of the first half before Hayles fired past an in-form Frances Kitching in the visitors’ goal.

And second-half strikes from Emily Syme and Abi Harrison completed the comfortable triumph after London City Lionesses had temporarily leapfrogged City at the summit earlier in the day.

The hosts were on top from the first minute and already had two goals ruled out and one effort cleared off the line before they took the lead.

Hayles scored her third goal in two games to break the deadlock in the 41st minute after being slid in by Syme.

The pressure continued immediately, as Anna Filbey cleared another City effort off the line within a minute.

Syme added a goal to her earlier assist two minutes into the second half with a first-time drive from the edge of the box before Harrison headed the third in at the back post five minutes later.

Hayles failed to add another, firing just wide before being withdrawn with the game won, and Ffion Morgan also saw her 25-yard effort hit the crossbar with just over half an hour to play.

Harrison had the chance to double her tally with ten minutes to go but headed straight at the keeper.

The result lifts Lauren Smith’s team back above London City Lionesses at the summit, who had overtaken them with a 2-0 win at Sunderland earlier on Sunday.

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PHOTO: KEITH GILLARD