Six things we learned from Crystal Palace Women’s win over Watford
After a tense first half which finished goalless, Palace looked rejuvenated as they stepped back out onto the pitch for the second half at The VBS Community Stadium. Goals from Kirsten Reilly, Araya Dennis and Elise Hughes ensured the Eagles took the full three points and they now sit top of Group C going into the final round of fixtures before the knockout stages.
Here’s six things we learned from this midweek fixture:
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Hide AdA slightly unusual points scoring system
Heading into this fixture, a quick glance at the group table might cause some confusion. Four teams had each played one game, with both games finishing in 1-1 draws. Two of the teams have two points and the other two teams have one point… how?
Penalty shootouts. In this competition, any match during the group stage ending in a draw goes straight to a penalty shootout. Whichever team wins that penalty shootout gets an additional point. So put simply:
Three points for a win
One point for a draw
One bonus point for the winning team of the penalty shootout
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Hide AdPersonally, I quite like it. I think it adds a different dimension to the group stages, and winning a penalty shootout could end up being the difference between progressing to the knockout stages and failing to qualify.
Negri was the hero of the first half
Watford certainly started the stronger of the two sides and carried that momentum through most of the first half. They looked organised, well drilled and prepared for anything that Palace had to offer.
Lucia Leon proved the biggest threat from Watford, attacking down the right wing and providing Palace’s back line with a variety of challenging crosses to deal with. On multiple occasions Natalia Negri was called into action, producing some fantastic saves from some brilliant attacking play from the Hornets. If Negri hadn’t been between the sticks Palace could have easily conceded three or four before half time.
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Hide AdPalace looked like a different squad in the second half
After looking uneasy in the first half, a different Palace stepped out onto the pitch after the break. I don’t know what manager Laura Kaminski said to the team in the dressing room, but it clearly worked! The movement both on and off the ball was a joy to watch and as the match went on their confidence grew with each attacking piece, with fans treated to some fantastic football.
Kirsten Reilly broke the deadlock after poking a loose ball between Watford keeper Goldsmid’s legs. Palace then played advantage after a foul on Elise Hughes to unleash Araya Dennis to slot the ball home in the bottom right hand corner after a one-on-one with the keeper. And then Hughes finished off a brilliant performance by turning in a cross from Molly Sharpe after Watford lost the ball at the back.
Three young Lionesses proved their worth
Earlier this week it was announced that three members of the Crystal Palace squad would represent the young Lionesses at the Under-19 Algarve Cup. Shauna Guyatt, Lexi Potter and Araya Dennis will all travel to Portugal with the England team to compete against Portugal, the Netherlands and Sweden over the coming weeks.
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Hide AdAll three players featured in this fixture and proved why their selection was well earned. Guyatt played a full 90 minutes looking physically strong in the centre of midfield, and provided some quality balls to the front line. Potter was more than a match for the more experienced members of the opposition during the 70 minutes she was on the pitch. And Dennis scored with her first involvement, plus offered a fresh injection of pace into the Palace attack.
Composure is key
Both sides were clearly up for a physical encounter when they emerged from the tunnel pre-game, with both sets of players looking focused and in the zone. As the game progressed into the second half the Palace players showed their ability to stay composed when members of the Watford squad started to lose their heads.
Corinne Henson was booked for multiple offences in quick session and captain Andria Georgiou was lucky not to go into the ref’s book too, after shoving Lexi Potter following a relatively tame foul. As one of the younger members of the Palace squad you might forgive Potter for retaliating, however the player who is currently on a dual registration with Chelsea calmly walked away.
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Hide AdStrong contenders to qualify for knockout stage
Crystal Palace currently top their group and are level on points with London City Lionesses but ahead on goal difference. The two remaining teams, Watford and Lewes, are two points behind. The Eagles face the Lionesses in January - a win will guarantee qualification and a draw should also comfortably see them through. Even losing this match could potentially see Palace qualify depending on the result of the other group match.
Crystal Palace have already thrashed London City Lionesses 6-1 this season, so that should give them confidence going into this game. Last season the men’s stadium Selhurst Park was chosen to host the final of this competition between Arsenal and Chelsea, so it would be fantastic for the club to progress in the competition this year and who knows, even make it to the final themselves?
COME ON EAGLES!