Watford suffered a third successive Barclays Women's Championship defeat on their travels as they were beaten 3-0 by Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

Molly-Mae Sharpe capitalised on a parried shot to put the Eagles in front after five minutes, with Ria Percival doubling their lead six minutes later.

Despite a marked improvement following the double early setback, the Hornets were unable to prevent Annabel Blanchard from firing in a third just before the hour mark.

Following three consecutive away games, the Golden Girls return to home comforts next Sunday (March 31, 2pm KO) when they face Sunderland at Vicarage Road, as the battle for survival rages on.

Sharpe reacted quickly to tap in the opener, with Watford defenders claiming the forward was offside. Those protests were waved away and Palace added to the tally soon after.

With the ball cleared to the edge of the box, Percival controlled it before drilling low into the far corner, beating Beth Howard to her right.

Carly Johns looked to make something happen in attack when she latched onto a through ball and dribbled into the box, but Palace skipper Aimee Everett recovered well to prevent a shot.

Harley Bennett’s cross was then headed straight into Lucía León’s path, and the Dominican Republic international’s low strike forced Demi Lambourne into a diving stop.

The hosts began the second period in the ascendancy, with Howard nullifying their attacking threat with saves from Lexi Potter and Izzy Atkinson.

Blanchard eventually found the third goal, again taking advantage of a loose ball inside the box and heading home after Elise Hughes had her header cleared.

Hughes went even closer to scoring hereself with 15 minutes left on the clock, looping a header over Howard which Bennett cleared acrobatically off the line.

It was one-way traffic at the end of the game but Watford kept the score down with their defensive structure. Anne Meiwald kept substitute Lucy Watson at bay, blocking a shot with her well-timed slide-tackle.

Defeat leaves Watford bottom of the table and six points shy of safety heading into the final four games of the season, with the Black Cats visiting The Vic in a week’s time.