The Eagles took the lead from a corner after 20 minutes, which meant we trailed at half-time for the first time this season. It took just five minutes after the restart for Malard to net her first of the afternoon and then she headed in from second-half substitute Sandy Baltimore’s cross 25 minutes later.

The number nine then won a penalty in the final stages of the match, which Baltimore scored to complete the 3-1 victory. With the three points successfully in the bag, Malard explained how the team reacted in the dressing room at the interval.

‘It was so good to win today because it was a hard game with the wind,’ she explained. ‘But the team could keep going and put the energy into this game.

‘We said “wake up” at half time because it wasn’t a very good start to the game, but we know our quality; we know the way we needed to play to win the game. When we came back out in the second half, we showed that quality.’

Malard shot wide of the target right before she scored from 25 yards out, and she explained how that missed opportunity spurred her on to shoot from distance.

‘I was really in the action before when I missed, and so I knew my touch was good,’ she said. ‘I told myself to shoot and that’s what I did. I am in a good place. This is a seriously good team, and we have good staff.’

Malard paid tribute to Baltimore for a superb second-half display after the pair combined on both the second and third goals against Palace.

‘I love her,’ the striker beamed. ‘She has a lot of quality to go 1-v-1, and as a striker, you only need to go in the box, and she can give you the ball. She showed that today when she came in to help the team.

‘We will take the energy we put in today to the Roma game on Wednesday. We scored three goals today, so that is good. We will keep going to score the goals.’