Crystal Palace hit six in the Barclays Women’s Championship | OneFootball

Annabel Blanchard scored a swift hat-trick as Crystal Palace hit six. (Liam Asman/SPP)

The top three in the Barclays Women’s Championship all won, including six-goal Crystal Palace, while Charlton Athletic leapfrogged Blackburn Rovers into fourth.

Southampton 2-1 Durham Blackburn Rovers 0-1 Charlton Athletic Crystal Palace 6-1 London City Lionesses Sheffield United 0-4 Birmingham City Sunderland 3-1 Reading Watford 1-2 Lewes

Southampton stayed top on goal-difference, after victory over Durham. Rianna Dean opened the scoring for the Saints and although in first-half stoppage-time when Saoirse Noonan headed down Becky Salicki’s long ball for Eleanor Ryan-Doyle to force in, Dean restored the lead by the break.

Second-placed Sunderland saw off Reading 3-1, against whom Ellen Jones broke the deadlock a minute before the break. Liz Ejupi doubled the lead five minutes after the restart, Katie Kitching led a counter attack to make it 3-0, before Freya Gregory pulled one back.

High-scoring Crystal Palace hit London City Lionesses 6-1, as Annabel Blanchard struck a 15-minute hat-trick. Molly Sharpe put Palace ahead on the rebound from Blanchard’s blocked shot, the Eagles were soon pegged back by an own-goal from a corner but Shanade Hopcroft fired in their second close to the interval. Palace struck three times in five minutes at the start of the second half, Blanchard with a couple and Anna Filbey the other, before Blanchard completed her hat-trick from the spot.

Charlton Athletic leapfrogged Blackburn into fourth place on goal-difference, after winning away to Rovers. The Addicks were awarded a penalty a couple of minutes into the second half, Kayleigh Green making no mistake from the spot.

Birmingham City got all four goals of the game at Sheffield United, to go above their hosts and into seventh spot. Gemma Lawley headed Birmingham one up from Lucy Quinn’s corner after only two minutes. Martha Harris rifled in City’s second from 25 yards, Charlie Devlin’s cross was volleyed in off the post by Lucy Quinn after 50 minutes, Remi Allen later extending the lead to 4-0.

Melissa Lawley heads Birmingham City in front at Sheffield United. (Photo: Julian Barker)

Lewes picked up their first win of the season to move level on points with Watford. Caragh Hamilton had the Rooks one up, Laila Harbert played in Bianca Baptiste to equalise minutes later for the Hornets, but Grace Riglar restored the visitors’ lead with three minutes of the ninety left.

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