Leicester City 4-2 West Ham United women's team
Barclays Women's Super League, King Power Stadium, Saturday 10 May 2025, 12.30pm BST
Despite a rallying second-half showing, West Ham United women’s team fell to a 4-2 defeat at Leicester City on the final day of the 2024/25 Barclays Women’s Super League season.
Goals from Janice Cayman and Hannah Cain gave the Foxes a two-goal lead at the break, but Viviane Asseyi headed Rehanne Skinner’s side back into the contest just before the hour mark.
Although Cain’s second of the afternoon made it 3-1 shortly after, Asseyi soon notched her 13th goal of the season in all competitions with a stunning free-kick. However, a long-range Sam Tierney goal put the contest beyond the Irons.
The defeat means the women’s team ended the campaign ninth in the WSL standings.
Even though the Hammers made a bright start, which saw Shekiera Martinez bend a shot just wide of the post after a surging run forward from Katrina Gorry, the home side took the lead inside ten minutes. After pinball in the penalty area, it was Foxes captain Cayman who rifled the ball home into the top corner.
It then could have easily been two in double-quick time had Asmita Ale not squandered a chance from inside the six-yard box.
In an end-to-end opening 20 minutes, Skinner’s side responded with a looping Verena Hanshaw effort that Janina Leitzig tipped over the bar before Shana Chossenotte fired into the side netting from a tight angle for Leicester. Then, in similar fashion to Hanshaw’s chance, Asseyi came close to equalising as her cross rebounded off the upright.
It was then time for Leicester to strike the woodwork, as, after a mistake at the back from Eva Nyström, Yuka Momiki’s scuffed effort trickled onto Kinga Szemik’s right post.
The all-action first half kept yielding opportunities, and the Irons went close again through an Asseyi header that Leitzig held before Manuela Paví’s mazy run resulted in her seeing a shot from close range blocked .
However, despite their opportunities to level proceedings, the Hammers fell two goals down on 35 minutes when Cain, allowed time and space to run in behind, struck at Szemik, but followed in to net the rebound from a tight angle.
Looking to swing the game back in her side’s favour, Skinner made two changes at half-time, bringing off Paví and Shelina Zadorsky for Oona Siren and Amber Tysiak. And while the second period took a while to get going, the Hammers halved the deficit with their first clear-cut chance of the half.
A right-footed Anouk Denton cross from the left was flicked on by a Leicester player into the path of Asseyi, who headed into the top-right corner.
The second half then sprung into life, and, unfortunately for the Hammers, Leicester restored their two-goal cushion through Cain’s second of the game, only two minutes after Asseyi’s goal, as the Foxes No21 finished past Szemik when one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
But the Hammers, and Asseyi, dug in again and were soon back to within a goal when the France international curled a delightful free-kick into the top-left corner, her ninth WSL goal of the season.
Only six minutes later, the pulsating game at King Power Stadium conjured up a sixth goal, but it fell the way of Leicester when Tierney’s strike from long range beat Szemik to find the back of the net.
Nonetheless, the Hammers kept pushing and came close to scoring through Martinez, Gorry and Eva Nyström, but couldn’t set up a grandstand finish as they fell to a defeat at King Power Stadium.
Leicester City: Leitzig, Howard, Tierney, Cayman ©, Ale, Chossenotte (O’Brien 60) Thibaud (Bott 75), Goodwin (Las 60), Cain (Eiríksdóttir 82), Momiki (Takarada 82), Swaby
Subs not used: Clark (GK), Nevin, Sherwood, Rose, Torres
Goal: Cayman 9, Cain 35, 60, Tierney 69
West Ham United: Szemik, Denton, Zadorsky (Tysiak 46), Nyström, Hanshaw (Smith 79), Gorry © (Ademiluyi 90), Martinez, Paví (Siren 46), Asseyi, Piubel (Harries 68), Ueki
Subs not used: M.Walsh (GK), Sáez, Bergman Lundin, S. Walsh
Goals: Asseyi 57, 64
Booked: Asseyi
Referee: Lucy May
Attendance: TBC
