Ipswich Town failed to take advantage of the first of their two games in hand over Portsmouth at the bottom of WSL2, losing 1-0 away to promotion-chasing Crystal Palace this afternoon. With three games left to play, the Blues remain locked on 14 points, level with Pompey, above the south coast side only on goal difference.

After their unbeaten start to 2026 in WSL2 going into March, which earned them nine points from five games, Ipswich Town have failed to move clear of the bottom of the table going into the women’s international break. They will now face an anxious few weeks before their fate is decided over 11 days at the end of the month.

Earlier in the day, Durham, the team directly above them in the league, had scored a stoppage-time penalty to earn a 2-2 draw at home to Bristol City. That point moved the North-East side two clear of the bottom pair and closer to safety.

David Wright named an unchanged side after the unfortunate injury-time defeat last weekend against Southampton at Portman Road.

However, Ipswich struggled to create chances against their South London opponents, who are currently on an impressive run of form, culminating in last Sunday’s win over top of the table Charlton Athletic.

On a blustery afternoon at the VBS Community Stadium, an outstanding goal by Kirsty Howat after 16 minutes was enough to decide the match. The Scottish striker rushed to take a quick corner on the left from which she exchanged passes with Ashleigh Weerden. From the corner of the penalty area, Howat curled an inswinging shot into the far corner of the Ipswich goal over Natalia Negri.

Seven minutes later, they should have been two down when Abbie Larkin clinically applied the finish to an incisive through ball from Annabel Blanchard. 

If Ipswich were unlucky last week to concede a winning goal which appeared to be offside, they were extremely fortunate this week when the assistant referee raised her flag to disallow the goal. Left-back Bethan Roe appeared to play Larkin onside when Blanchard played her pass.

Two minutes later, Ipswich had their first shot on target when Colette Cavanagh struck from long range, Palace keeper Shae Yañez collected the ball comfortably.

More good pressing by Cavanagh a few minutes later presented Kit Graham with a half-chance, but again the shot was straight at the goalkeeper.

Despite plenty of endeavour from the away side, Palace’s three-player backline continued to keep the Ipswich Town attack at arm’s length in the second half.

Striker Princess Ademiluyi found no way through despite many promising runs into the channels. The normally productive Sophie Peskett had little joy against Jamaican international Allyson Swaby.

On the hour, Peskett showed tremendous determination to rob Swaby in her own half and charge past two more players in midfield before releasing Ademiluyi ,who was running through on goal. Yañez did well to smother the ball just ahead of the striker who was booked for her late challenge. 

In the 76th minute, from a cross from the right by captain Maria Boswell, Kenzie Weir sent a looping header goalwards, which was tipped over by Yañez.

That was as close as Ipswich Town came to an equaliser during a second half in which they made the majority of the running against opponents who were playing two tiers above them last season.

Crystal Palace saw the game out without creating many other clear chances to score themselves. Only substitute Lola Brown, on loan from Chelsea, tested Negri in the closing stages as the goalkeeper produced an outstanding one-handed save from the midfielder’s close-range header.

At the moment, Ipswich Town remain above the single relegation place back into the Women’s National League but their position of safety is now precarious.

A third straight defeat means that they remain above Portsmouth on the narrowest goal difference margin, a second Palace goal would have left Town bottom due to the fact they have scored fewer goals than Pompey.

Ipswich Town will now have to wait 17 days to play their remaining game in hand over the other teams in the league when they host fourth from bottom Sheffield United at the Jobserve Community Stadium on Wednesday 22nd April.

A defeat would leave them bottom of the table going into the final two rounds of matches. Any other result might just be enough to keep them in the division for a second successive season should Portsmouth lose both of their remaining matches.

With Birmingham City (away) and Sunderland (home) to play after that, the pressure will be on Ipswich that Wednesday evening to keep their destiny in their own hands.

Crystal Palace: Yañez; Newell, Everett, Swaby; Sharpe, Cato, Ladd, Weerden; Blanchard (Brown, 74); Larkin (Hughes, 74), Howat.

Ipswich Town: Negri; Boswell, Peake, Weir, Roe (Dean, 84); Mitchell, Cavanagh (O’Brien, 67); Peskett (Baker, 67), Graham, Ashworth-Clifford; Princess Ademiluyi (Thomas, 72).

Photo: ITFC/Matchday Images