Birmingham City and Crystal Palace shared six goals and the points in a pulsating 3-3 draw, with Suzu Amano’s late equaliser rescuing the hosts from defeat.
Birmingham needed just 40 seconds to break the deadlock, capitalising on an early defensive error. Lee Geum-Min picked up possession before finding Oceane Hurtre, who produced an excellent finish into the top corner to give the Blues a dream start.
Palace responded on the half-hour mark when Shanade Hopcroft’s free-kick caused confusion inside the Birmingham penalty area. Goalkeeper Sophie Baggaley was unable to keep the ball out as it bounced over her and into the net.
The hosts restored their lead almost immediately, with Hurtre once again at the heart of the action. The French forward battled past Jamie-Lee Napier before finding the far corner from a difficult angle to complete her brace.
Palace refused to be discouraged and levelled for a second time before the interval. Sierra Enge’s effort was tipped onto the crossbar by Baggaley, but Bethany England reacted quickest to the rebound and fired home.
The visitors then completed the turnaround shortly after the break. Lexi Lloyd-Smith capitalised on another Birmingham mistake before cutting inside and calmly finishing to put Palace ahead for the first time.
With the hosts facing defeat, Birmingham pushed forward in search of a late response and were rewarded three minutes from time.
A swift counter-attack created space inside the Palace box, allowing Amano to arrive in the right place and sweep the ball home in the 87th minute to secure a share of the spoils.
Neither side was able to find a winner during the closing stages, bringing an entertaining six-goal contest to an end.
The draw leaves Birmingham still searching for their first league victory after four matches, with the Blues sitting third from bottom on two points. Palace, meanwhile, move to eighth in the table.
