Naturally, the Foxes had their tails up, and the pendulum began to swing. Tierney threaded a pass into the path of Shannon O’Brien, whose low effort angled towards the bottom-left corner but was superbly turned away by the diving Annets.
Palace captain Aimee Everett produced a crucial challenge to deny the hosts attacker a clear sight of goal in the penalty area.
Just minutes later, Annets was called into action again, reacting sharply to parry Sari Kees’ strike from outside the box. Midway through the half, the game had become an intense, end-to-end contest – a genuine thriller for the spectators.
A dangerous delivery was whipped into the Palace box, but Leicester missed the killer pass, and the ball fell safely into Annets’ hands.
Entering the final third, the Eagles’ backline saw their resolve seriously tested. A series of crucial blocks were made inside the penalty area before Hlín Eiríksdóttir reacted quickest to rifle an effort against the crossbar. Leicester were turning the screw, but Potter’s side held firm.
At the other end, Justine Vanhaevermaet restored a two-goal cushion at a crucial moment, with Leicester pressing for an equaliser. Weerden’s pinpoint cross found Vanhaevermaet rising highest in the centre of the box to power a towering header into the bottom-right corner.
As the interval approached, Annets produced a sharp stop from Asmita Ale in the box, while substitute Hannah Cain had a shot charged down. A handball was called just outside the area, but Indiah-Paige Riley blocked the resulting free-kick attempt. Once again, the Palace backline refused to yield.
