Olivia Holdt came off the bench to mark her debut with a stoppage-time winner as Tottenham left it late to snatch Women’s Super League victory at bottom-of-the-table Crystal Palace.

Denmark midfielder Holdt struck from a free-kick in the fifth of six minutes of added time after promoted Palace had worked their way back from a 2-0 deficit to within seconds of claiming a valuable point at a wintry VBS Community Stadium.

Two bullet headers from England striker Beth England had given Spurs a 2-0 lead, but Katie Stengel and Ashleigh Weerden dragged the home side back into it only for Holdt to snatch a 3-2 win at the death.

Under torrential rain and in blustery winds, Amanda Nilden tested Palace keeper Milla-Maj Majasaari’s resolve with an early attempt from distance before skipper England failed to make the most of a fourth-minute chance.

However, the Eagles might have gone ahead seconds later had Lize Kop not managed to beat away Lexi Potter’s shot from Weerden’s intelligent cut-back, and Molly-Mae Sharpe curled another attempt wide as the hosts grew into the game.

But it was the visitors who took a 14th-minute lead when England headed home Ashleigh Neville’s cross, and she repeated the feat nine minutes later when she dispatched Maite Oroz’s corner in equally emphatic fashion.

Lily Woodham tested Kop from distance, but as conditions worsened, the game became increasingly scrappy.

Palace gave themselves hope within three minutes of the restart when Stengel turned Sharpe’s near-post cross past Kop, and the Tottenham keeper had to make a smart save to prevent Weerden from equalising seven minutes later.

England saw a third goal ruled out for offside on the hour, and the home side were back on level terms when Weerden converted Stengel’s 64th-minute cross.

However, Spurs claimed victory in the fifth minute of stoppage time when, after Eagles skipper Aimee Everett had hauled down Jessica Naz on the edge of the box, fellow substitute Holdt stepped up to curl the resulting free-kick past Majasaari.