Crystal Palace earned a point on the road as Abbie Larkin’s superb second-half strike secured a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa at Villa Park.
The Eagles had chances to take the lead before the interval, with Molly Bartrip testing Villa goalkeeper Akane Okuma after a Palace free-kick. Okuma also denied Larkin late in the first half, while Pauline Peyraud-Magnin made several saves to keep the hosts at bay.
Villa broke the deadlock 10 minutes after the restart when Noelle Maritz finished a quick counter-attack. Palace continued to push forward, and Larkin eventually restored parity in the 74th minute after intercepting a loose pass and advancing before firing into the net from around 20 yards.
Both teams had opportunities to claim victory in the closing stages. Shannon O’Brien missed a chance for Palace, while Peyraud-Magnin produced an excellent stop to deny Miri Taylor in added time and preserve the draw.
The result gives Palace another away point in Birmingham and leaves the Eagles eighth in the Women’s Super League, with Arsenal still to play. Palace will return from the October international break by hosting West Ham United at the Borough Sports Ground, with kick-off scheduled for 12:00 BST on Sunday, 18 October.
