West Ham United women’s team 2-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
Subway® Women's League Cup Group C, Chigwell Construction Stadium, Wednesday 8 October 2025, 7pm BST
A sweeping finish from Shekiera Martinez helped West Ham United women’s team to a 2-1 victory in the Subway® Women's League Cup at home to Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday evening.
Nights under the lights are always special, and there was a terrific atmosphere inside Chigwell Construction Stadium when our No19 put us ahead on 75 minutes. Her instinctive strike from inside the box helped us turn the contest around after Seraina Piubel cancelled out Carla Camacho’s opener in the first half.
With two victories from two, the three points keeps us at the top of the Group C standings and ensures we have a three-point ahead of our final two games of the competition.
Both sides enjoyed positive spells in the first half, but it was Brighton who started the brighter. They showed early warning signs, with Megan Walsh making saves from Michelle Agyemang and Tahirah Heron inside the opening five minutes.
And it was not long before they took the lead through Camacho, who was on hand to tap home from close range after Rosa Kafaji’s bending effort came back off the post.
We didn’t rest on our laurels, though, and immediately went in search of an equaliser. Leila Wandeler and Martinez led the charge into the Seagulls' half before the latter found Sarah Brasero, who struck narrowly wide.
Back came Brighton with two good chances of their own. First Agyemang curled an effort wide of Walsh’s left post before our No25 was alert to get down low to block Kafaji’s strike from inside the box.
And those saves proved crucial, as up the other end, we found an equaliser. From Verena Hanshaw’s corner, Martinez lashed the ball back across goal and Piubel was on hand to fire the ball into the roof of the net.
We almost made it two in double-quick time as Manuela Paví broke forward with intent and unleashed a strike that flew just over the crossbar. In response, Camacho turned Agyemang’s cut-back into the side netting before the referee signaled for half-time.
The second half took a while to get going, but both sides still crafted chances in east London.
Agyemang set her sights from the left side of the area, but fired over the bar before the biggest opportunity of the game fell to Wandeler. We broke with Martinez, who charged into the box to pick out our No27, but her low effort was kept out by Sophie Baggaley.
Both managers then made triple changes, with Oona Siren, Viviane Asseyi and Riko Ueki replacing Sarah Brasero, Manuela Paví and Seraina Piubel for the Irons, and the fresh legs in the attack helped us turn the contest on its head.
Asseyi showed great persistence to keep the ball alive and when Caitlin Hayes’ clearance was blocked by Ueki, Martinez was alert to sweep an instinctive strike into the far corner of the net.
France international Asseyi then ever so nearly doubled our advantage with a curling strike that bent agonizingly wide of Baggaley’s post.
In the fifth minute of six minutes added time at the end of the second half, Walsh made a terrific stop, tipping Kafaji’s strike over the bar before the referee blew the full-time whistle!
West Ham United: Walsh, Endo (Denton HT), Tysiak. Zadorsky © (Nyström HT), Hanshaw, Csiki, Brasero (Siren 66), Paví (Ueki 66), Piubel (Asseyi 66), Wandeler, Martinez
Subs not used: Szemik (GK), Houssein, Taylor-Brown, Cemal
Goals: Piubel 29, Martinez 75
Booked: Wandeler, Paví, Csiki
Brighton & Hove Albion: Baggaley, Mpome (Rule 62), Kafaji, Agyemang, Carabali ©, Rayner (Noordam 40), Hayes, Camacho (Kirby 62), McLauchlan (Olislagers 62), Tsunoda, Heron (Seike 78)
Subs not used: Nnadozie (GK), Symonds, Cankovic, Martin
Goal: Camacho 16
Booked: Rayner
Referee: Megan Wilson
Attendance: 478
