After a promising opening of play, a 3-0 deficit at half-time was not true to Palace’s performance or recent form, but it did pave the way for a spirited second-half display.

The Eagles dominated immediately after the restart, with Coral Haines and Anna Filbey coming up with efforts from outside the box, both narrowly clearing the crossbar.

Birmingham tried to hit back with Jamie Finn, forcing Kitching into a good low save, but it was Palace who scored the next goal of the game and with it a poignant moment for Rianna Dean.

Some 18 months after her last two professional goals (goals for Liverpool in September 2021, before suffering the long-term injury that delayed the start of her Palace career), the number 9 found herself in the right place at the right time to end since Blanchard’s Rewind in the Hour.

However, as hard as they tried, Palace were unable to produce that second goal which would have given them any real hope of completing the comeback, with Blanchard next to try his luck from distance, only to be denied by Thomas.

As seconds ticked away, and with Kitching making a good save from Ashley Hodson at the other end, Polly Doran had perhaps Palace’s best chance to get a goal back, but the Aussie full-back was unable to contain her volley.

The defeat sees Palace Women remain sixth in the Women’s Championship table, with five games remaining in the season, including Sunday’s thrilling women’s football weekend clash with Blackburn Rovers at Hayes Lane, which you can read more about here.

Birmingham: Thomas (GK), Bourne, Quinn, Lawley, Finn (Harris 61), McLoughlin, Estcourt (Murray 61), Quinn (Hodson 61), Wilson, Pennock (Worsey 78), Walker

Substitutes: Jones, Scott, Simkin, Devlin, Smith, Worsey

Palace: Kitching (GK), Reilly, Everett, Waldie, Doran, Olding, Filbey, Haines, Blanchard, Dean (Gibbons 78), Sharpe (Hughes 83)

Substitutes: Negri (GK), Smith (GK), Johnson, Wilson-White, Arthur