Birmingham City Women produced a stirring late fightback to earn a point against Crystal Palace in a six-goal thriller at St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park and all of this on the day that Club legend and minority women’s shareholder opened her own lounge Carney Club.
The Blues looked set for victory at two different stages of an entertaining contest, only to find themselves behind with 13 minutes remaining.
But they refused to surrender, and Suzu Amano’s late deflected strike secured a deserved share of the spoils in front of an appreciative home crowd.
Birmingham could scarcely have wished for a better start. Just 38 seconds had been played when Océane Hurtré pounced on a loose Palace pass, raced through on goal and produced a superb finish into the top corner.
It was a moment of real quality from the French forward and gave the hosts an early platform.
Palace gradually settled and began to pose problems of their own, with Birmingham goalkeeper Sophie Baggaley called into action on several occasions.
The equaliser arrived after half an hour when Shanade Hopcroft’s long-range free-kick bounced awkwardly in front of Baggaley before looping over her and into the net.
Birmingham responded in impressive fashion.
Hurtré was again at the centre of the action, cutting in from the left before attempting what looked like an unlikely effort from an acute angle.
The gamble paid off as her strike found its way past Pauline Peyraud-Magnin and restored the Blues’ lead.
Hurtré almost completed her hat-trick immediately after the restart, but Palace increasingly began to dictate the tempo.
Bethany England came close to an equaliser when her effort was cleared off the line, while Neve Herron produced an important challenge as the pressure mounted.
The warning signs were there for Birmingham and, eventually, Palace found their way through.
Baggaley made an excellent save to divert Sierra Enge’s effort onto the crossbar, but England reacted quickest to the rebound and made no mistake from close range.
With the game finely poised, Palace completed their comeback with 13 minutes remaining.
Lexi Lloyd-Smith took advantage of a Birmingham mistake in possession before carrying the ball forward and finding the bottom corner to put the visitors 3-2 ahead.
For a side that had twice held the lead, it could have been a devastating blow.
Instead, Birmingham showed character.
The Blues threw players forward in search of an equaliser and began to put the Palace defence under sustained pressure.
Hurtré was denied a third time, while Lee Geum-Min and Lily Crosthwaite also threatened as the clock ticked down.
Then, with just three minutes of normal time remaining, Birmingham finally got their reward.
Amano’s effort took a deflection and wrong-footed Peyraud-Magnin, finding the net to make it 3-3 and send the home supporters into celebration.
There was still time for both sides to search for a winner, but neither could find the decisive touch in a frantic closing spell.
In the end, the honours were shared — a result that reflected a contest in which the momentum swung repeatedly between the two sides.
For Birmingham, there will be frustration at allowing a two-time lead to slip away, but plenty of encouragement too.
The Blues demonstrated considerable attacking threat, while their response to falling 3-2 behind was particularly impressive.
Most importantly, they showed they have the resilience to keep fighting until the final whistle.
On an afternoon when neither side was prepared to settle for a quiet contest, a 3-3 draw was a fitting conclusion.
