1. Paví’s powerful perfection
Manuela Paví entered the fray at the start of the second half of West Ham United women’s team’s Subway® Women's League Cup tie at Charlton Athletic hoping to make an impact.
To say she made an impact is an understatement.
The Colombia international has shown her ability to change a game off the bench before, with her last-minute equaliser against Manchester City last season a moment that springs to mind. And she had her teammates, coaches and West Ham fans up on their feet again just moments after stepping on to The Valley turf.
One touch to receive the ball from Halle Houssein, one touch to set herself. Bang. A rocket into the top-right corner from 25 yards, as if the stanchion of the goal and the ball were magnets.
Off she ran to the bench, greeted by the beaming, giddy smile of Viviane Asseyi and the rest of her Hammers colleagues.
2. Wandeler with a Wander-goal
Anything Manuela Paví can do, Leila Wandeler can do too!
The 19-year-old was happy enough with her instinctive, audacious nutmeg on Mary Mcateer on the left touchline - but fancied a little bit more. She drove towards the Charlton area, with the top-right corner of the goal looking more inviting with every touch. Our No27 took aim with a brilliant curling effort and found the net.
Paví’s hands went straight on her head - whether that was in pure awe of the goal, or because she realised her goal might still not be the best of the night!
Each player's reaction tells a different story, but they all made their way to Wandeler to congratulate her on her first West Ham goal.
3. Successful first starts
Apologies to Ffion Morgan and Sarah Brasero for only just getting round to mentioning their first goals for the Club on our things we loved list!
Like Wandeler, the pair marked their first competitive starts in West Ham shirts by finding the net, with Morgan striking first in our 5-1 success with a clinical volley on 18 minutes, before Brasero tucked the ball home from inside the box with seven to play to add our fourth of the evening.
The night was made even more special for Brasero, who had her parents supporting from the stands. She didn’t realise they were in attendance until she saw them in the warm-up!
It was also a night to remember for Selin Cemal, who made her first Hammers start at The Valley. The No43 looked assured and composed next to skipper Amber Tysiak in south-east London, and would have been equally proud when fellow Professional Game Academy (PGA) player Emily Taylor-Brown took to the field for her Irons debut in the second half.
Inès Belloumou and Yu Endo also made their first starts for the Club on Wednesday evening, while Halle Houssein crowned her first appearance of the season with two assists.
4. Perfect start to the cup campaign
In our first win of the fresh season, our 5-1 victory at Charlton put us to the top of the early Group C Subway® Women's League Cup standings.
It was the perfect start to our endeavors in the competition after we reached the semi-finals last term.
Next up in the cup is a home fixture against fellow Barclays Women’s Super League outfit Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday 8 October, who were also victorious in their opening game after defeating Portsmouth.
Tickets for the cup clash against the Seagulls are on sale HERE!
5. Confidence ahead of the weekend
Wednesday’s win was the perfect precursor to our WSL fixture at home to Chelsea on Sunday, and the squad is full of confidence ahead of our next London derby at Chigwell Construction Stadium.
Speaking post-match, Morgan said: “It gives us a lot of confidence in our play. Different goalscorers, different people bringing different things to the game, so we can really kick on now. A quick turnaround for Chelsea and hopefully we can get some points at home.”
Wandeler echoed her teammate: “For some players who don’t have the chance all the time in the WSL games, they just want to give their best, so that’s why we were all even more excited.
“We’re really excited [for Chelsea] and we’re going to work harder for it.”
