Goals in either half from Kate Natkiel and Amy Taylor saw Brighton & Hove Albion cut Cardiff City’s lead in the FA Women’s Premier League Southern Division to just one point.
Cardiff had taken away a 2-1 victory from Sussex just a fortnight ago, but roles were reversed in South Wales.
Panic in the hosts’ defence saw the ball fall to Natkiel, who smashed a shot through a crowd of bodies and past goalkeeper Laura O’Sullivan in the 16th minute.
FA WPL Southern Division
Cardiff City 1-2 Brighton & Hove Albion
Plymouth Argyle P-P Lewes
Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 West Ham
Natkiel and Charley Boswell then had further chances to double the scoreline but it was Taylor who would go closer still after her rasping strike cannoned back off the crossbar.
Taylor would get her goal on the hour-mark as she did well to manoeuvre in space and slam the ball beyond the reach of O’Sullivan.
Cardiff were not going to lie down and halved the deficit soon after, as Kelly Aldridge pulled one back.
However, a Brighton back three including a debut appearance for Amelia Ritchie would stem the tide for Brighton and secure their first win in three games - leaving first team manager James Marrs impressed with what he saw.
“I must say that Amelia Ritchie played exceptionally well on her senior debut,” he said. “It’s very pleasing to see one of our centre of excellence players rising to the challenge of playing in the first team.”
Sheffield FC were crowned champions in May 2015
“I thought we were a bit sloppy in the second-half and Cardiff were the better side, but in the first-half we were the better team.”
Wendy Martin was the super sub for Tottenham Hotspur as her two strikes downed West Ham United by 2-1 and led her side into fourth place.
Martin’s second and winning goal came in the fifth minute of stoppage time on an afternoon of high drama in the London derby.
She had opened her account in the 68th minute, but West Ham had thought they had secured a share of the spoils when Romina Pinna levelled the scores a minute into injury time.
“It’s very pleasing to see one of our centre of excellence players rising to the challenge of playing in the first team”
James Marrs Brighton manager
But there was still time for Martin to head home and break the Hammers’ hearts, as Tottenham built on last week’s win over Queens Park Rangers.
On a wet and windy weekend, the other Southern Division game between Plymouth Argyle and Lewes was called off.
There were FA WPL clubs involved in county action across the two divisions this weekend, with Imi Umotong and Katie George scoring 13 goals between them in Portsmouth’s 18-0 triumph over AFC Stoneham.
There were also heavy wins for Blackburn Rovers and Loughborough Foxes, who beat Penwortham and Castle Donington 11-0 and 14-0 respectively, while Preston North End and Stoke City also recorded victories.
