Crystal Palace Women are still waiting to learn the outcome of a WSL and FA investigation into an administrative substitution error made during their win over Everton. As of this update on 2 October 2026, the inquiry remains open and no sanction has been confirmed.
The case centres on a breach of substitution rules during Palace’s 1-0 win at the VBS Community Stadium, where Lexi Lloyd-Smith’s 34th-minute goal settled the contest. Manager Jo Potter used four separate stoppages to make changes, one more than WSL regulations allow, and the governing bodies are still working through what that breach means for Crystal Palace Women.
How the Four Stoppages Unfolded Against Everton
WSL rules allow a team up to five substitutions, but only across three stoppages in play, not counting half-time. Potter’s changes against Everton went beyond that limit.
Abbie Larkin came on in the 62nd minute, followed by Ashleigh Weerden in the 83rd. Allyson Swaby was introduced in the 90th minute, and Kirsty Howat followed in the 97th. That fourth window is where the breach occurred, even though every substitution itself was permitted under the overall quota of five.
Everton manager Scott Phelan did not address the substitution count afterwards, but he was candid about his side’s performance on the day. “Not a performance we expected. I think there was a bit of fear in our game and I don’t know where that has come from,” he told evertontv.
He added a further line on what had gone missing from his team’s display.
That was one thing I did not expect from the team, we’ve asked them to do certain things and, without any extra pressure, to just go and play the game, enjoy the game, and execute the game plan, which we didn’t do often enough with the ball.
Full detail on how the game played out is in our original coverage of the Everton fixture.
Will Crystal Palace Women Face a Points Deduction or Replay?
No, not yet, and nobody outside the investigation knows for certain. A points deduction, a replayed fixture, or some other penalty all remain possible outcomes, and the WSL and FA have not indicated which way they are leaning.
That uncertainty is the whole story for now. The breach is procedural rather than one that affected the result on the pitch, since Palace still won 1-0 regardless of when their substitutes entered the game. But governing bodies can treat administrative errors seriously precisely because they test whether the rules mean anything if clubs can step outside them without consequence.
Until a ruling is published, supporters should treat any specific prediction about the punishment as guesswork rather than fact.
What Happens Next for Jo Potter and Palace
Potter and her staff now have to wait on the league and the FA to complete their process, with no indicated timeline for a decision. In the meantime, Palace’s season continues as normal, and the group that took the points against Everton remains the core of the squad moving forward.
For a wider look at who is available to Potter this season, the full club squad overview covers the full senior squad across the men’s and women’s sides. Palace’s build-up to upcoming fixtures has also been shaped by this uncertainty, something touched on in our recent team news analysis.
For now, the result against Everton stands, and Crystal Palace Women continue preparing for their next matches while the investigation runs its course.
