‘We keep fighting’ – Nouwen backs Palace survival bid

Aniek Nouwen had not kicked a football in a competitive game for 470 days prior.

The Dutch defender, who was injured in an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) while serving with the Netherlands Under-23 team in December 2023, spent a lot of time on the sidelines.

Nouwen, who signed for Palace from Chelsea on loan in January, was initially scheduled to return in eight to ten months, but the 26-year-old’s recovery has been difficult and time-consuming.

With her first goal since kicking off against Leicester City in March 2022, she opened the scoring with a well-placed header, which was undoubtedly worth the wait for the bottom club of the Women’s Super League.

After Palace won the relegation fight with a 3-1 victory over fellow strugglers Aston Villa, Nouwen gushed, “It felt so good.”

“Everything just worked out,” he said. In a word, I can’t adequately describe it.

I’ve been anticipating this for a very long time. It’s amazing when we score a goal and win.

The Eagles only managed a second league win of the season, but Nouwen was strong in the defense throughout a must-win game.

Nouwen acknowledged the significance of the win under Palace new manager Smerud, with Leicester City currently third bottom and just three points clear of them.

We can see that the team really worked together, she continued.

Many of the players are injured, but what we do right now is fight. Who is playing or who is missing is irrelevant. We continue to fight.

“We know we can do it right away, and we know we can fight for it.”

Villa showed their full resilience in a game of their own.

Since Smerud took over, their defense has performed well in their narrow defeats to Chelsea and Liverpool in the FA Cup.

They negotiated a quick start from Villa before gaining momentum with goals from Ashleigh Weerden and Katie Stengel, with Lucy Parker providing the visitors with a reply.

Smerud praised Nouwen, saying, “You can tell everything about her about how she came into the game with the amount of time she has been away.

Norwegian tactician Smerud will be relieved to have opened his win account during the crucial meeting at Palace after a difficult start.

We were aware that there would be a lot of pressure, and he continued, “I’m impressed by how we handled that pressure.”

I enjoy these games, but I was aware that the opponents would be a little anxious, so we did it. It’s amazing to recover from a big fight, especially in the second half. We’re all prepared to leave soon.

Smerud has managed a growing list of injuries while also organizing their defense and improving their attacking output.

Three academy players, Tecla Ezeh, Hope Thompson, and Rosie Rowe, who were the first to play for Smerud against Villa, made the first-team squad.

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

It’s sometimes challenging to work with reality in football because it’s true. This week, “We had very few players available,” Smerud said.

No matter how challenging it may be, it’s about working together. Our group managed to stay that way, which you need to work together.

On Saturday, the Eagles will travel to Everton, where they are eighth and seven points clear.

Smerud continued, “We will celebrate this victory because it’s important to celebrate and is deserved.” However, we prepare Everton from tomorrow, recover, and carry on our current activities.