Aniek Nouwen of Crystal Palace celebrates scoring with team-mates against Aston VillaGetty Images
Adwaidh Rajan
BBC Sport journalist
Crystal Palace threw the Women's Super League relegation fight wide open after overcoming Aston Villa in the meeting between the two bottom teams.
Dutch duo Aniek Nouwen and Ashleigh Weerden put the hosts in control, before Lucy Parker's neat late finish for Villa set up a tense finale.
Katie Stengel, though, pounced on a mistake by visiting keeper Sabrina D'Angelo in added time to confirm a crucial victory and move bottom club Palace a point behind their rivals with six games remaining of the season.
It was only their second win of the season and first under new manager Leif Smerud, who faces the uphill task of keeping them up in the top flight after replacing Laura Kaminski earlier this month.
Villa made a strong start to their relegation fight as Ebony Salmon tested Palace goalkeeper Shae Yanez, before Jill Baijings' dipping strike missed by inches.
But it was the hosts who found the 33rd-minute breakthrough against the run of play as defender Nouwen, on loan from Chelsea, struck on her Palace debut.
After Stengel's low drive was tipped behind for a corner, Lily Woodham's delivery was flicked on by captain Allyson Swaby towards Nouwen, who headed it well beyond the reach of D'Angelo.
Smerud's side remained on the ascendancy as Clarissa Larisey and Weerden went close only seconds into the second half.
Winger Weerden then fired home in the 53rd minute with an effort from the edge of the box to give Palace a two-goal cushion.
Villa rallied as substitute Jordan Nobbs hit the woodwork with a shot from distance and had a free-kick cleared off the line by Woodham, before Parker fired home with five minutes left.
But Palace survived a nervy finish and added a third when D'Angelo lost possession well out of her goal and Stengel broke away to finish into the empty net and inflict a fourth straight league defeat on Villa under boss Natalia Arroyo.
More to follow.
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Crystal Palace
Aston Villa
Starting XI
30S. Yáñez
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23L. Woodham
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25A. Nouwen
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29A. Swaby
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4C. Arthur
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27A. Larkin
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8M. Sharpe
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5M. Cato
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28K. Stengel
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21C. Larisey
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11A. Weerden
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77I. Atkinson
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9E. Hughes
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Starting XI
1S. D'Angelo
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3Paula Tomás
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15L. Parker
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4A. Patten
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16N. Maritz
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22J. Baijings
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25M. Taylor
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20K. Hanson
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17E. Salmon
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23C. Grant
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9R. Daly
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7M. Kearns
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8J. Nobbs
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28Gabi Nunes
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33M. Pacheco
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14D. Turner
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