'We keep fighting' - Nouwen backs Palace survival bid

Before Sunday, Aniek Nouwen had not kicked a football in a competitive fixture for 470 days.

It was a prolonged spell on the sidelines for the Dutch defender, who suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury while on duty with the Netherlands Under-23 team in December 2023.

Nouwen, who joined Palace on loan from Chelsea in January, was initially expected to return within eight to 10 months' time, but the road back has been long and arduous for the 26-year-old.

Her comeback was definitely worth the wait with a dream debut for the Women's Super League's bottom club as she opened the scoring with a well-placed header - her first goal since scoring against Leicester City in March 2022.

"It felt so good," said Nouwen after Palace gave themselves a shot in the arm in the relegation fight with a 3-1 win against fellow strugglers Aston Villa.

"Everything just came together. I can't describe it in one word.

"I have been waiting for this a long, long time. Scoring a goal and we get the win, it's amazing."

Nouwen was solid in the defence throughout a must-win game as the Eagles eked out only a second league win of the season.

The crucial success moved Leif Smerud's side a point behind second-bottom Villa with six games left.

With Leicester City, third bottom and just three points ahead, also now within touching distance, Nouwen acknowledged the significance of the win under Palace new manager Smerud.

"We see now we are fighting for everything - the team really came together," she added.

"We are losing a lot of players to injuries but what we do now is we keep fighting. It doesn't matter who is playing, who is missing. We keep fighting.

"We know we can do it now and we know we can fight for it."

Palace's resilience was on full display against Villa.

Their defence has looked solid in in narrow losses to Liverpool in the league and Chelsea in the FA Cup since Smerud took charge.

With Nouwen returning to feature at the heart of the defence, they negotiated a fast start from Villa, before growing into the game and adding further goals from Ashleigh Weerden and Katie Stengel, with Lucy Parker replying for the visitors.

Smerud praised Nouwen as he said: "The way she came into the game with the time she has been out tells you everything about her.

"She is a great player, calm, and strong mentally as well."

It has not been an easy start to life at Palace for Norwegian tactician Smerud, who will be relieved to have opened his win account in the crunch meeting.

"We knew it was going to be a game with a lot of pressure going into it and I'm impressed by how we handled that pressure," he added.

"I love these games but I knew the players were going to be a bit nervous and I think we handled it really well. To come out of it after a big fight, especially in the second half, is fantastic. We are ready to go again soon."

Smerud has not only made their defence organised but improved their attacking output - all while handling a growing list of injuries.

Among the seven substitutes named by Smerud against Villa were three academy players - Tecla Ezeh, Hope Thompson and Rosie Rowe - featuring in the first-team squad for the very first time.

Still, their seven shots on target on Sunday were the most they had registered in a league game this season, as Weerden, Stengel and Clarissa Larisey all contributed up front.

"In football you have to work with the reality, that is why it's difficult sometimes. We had very few players available this week," Smerud said.

"It's about working together, no matter how difficult it is. You need to stick together and our group did that."

The Eagles will next visit Everton, in eighth place and seven points ahead, on Saturday.

Smerud added: "We will celebrate this win because it is really deserved and it's important to celebrate. But from tomorrow, we prepare Everton, we recover and we continue doing what we are doing.

"We have a job to do still and we are going to do it."