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, 59, 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, 63
Booked: Asseyi
Referee: Lucy May
Attendance: TBC
Skinner: This result doesn't define the season
Manager Rehanne Skinner made clear that her side’s defeat at Leicester City should not overshadow the progress made on the pitch this term.
Having accumulated eight points more than they did last season, the women’s team finished ninth in the WSL standings after the loss at King Power Stadium.
A brace from Viviane Asseyi, which included a stunning free-kick, was not enough for the Hammers to register a positive result in their final match of the campaign, as two goals from Hannah Cain, and Janice Cayman and Sam Tierney strikes wrapped up the victory for Leicester.
Skinner praised Asseyi, who chalked up 13 goals in all competitions this term, for her contributions this season, and the support of the fans, who rallied behind the team at full-time.
We were disappointed with the first half.
Obviously we're disappointed with the result. In the first half, I thought we should have had a lot more to offer. We just didn't do the basics particularly well.
I think when you look back over the course of the season, the progress we've made from last year is significant. The playing group from the start of the season to the way we've been playing in the recent run of games has just been outstanding. That's something that we're going to take into next year.
This one result doesn't define the season. I'm really proud of what the players have achieved over the course of the year. It's just disappointing to end on a loss for the fans as well.
Vivi has been outstanding this season
Her [Asseyi] contributions across the whole season, assists and goals, have been outstanding. That’s really pleasing for her and the team.
I think across the board, the forward line's just improved and improved over the course of the season. That’s something we want to build on, and I think that's going to be something that is going to be a problem for other people again next year.
We did a lot in the game.
We just weren't ruthless enough in front of goal, in and around the box. We've hit the crossbar, I think we hit the post as well. We definitely had two situations where we should have had two penalties.
I think we feel like we've done a lot in the game and not got anything out of it, which is obviously disappointing. We just didn't have enough to get ourselves the result today.
The fans have been exceptional.
We're so grateful to them [the fans]. We've said we probably had the most fans we've had at an away game today as well, that's unbelievable for the last game of the season.
The fans have been exceptional, and I'm glad that they can see the way that we're moving the team forward and how we're playing.
We've got an exciting style of football now, much more so than previously, that we're able to deliver based on the players that we've got. The never-say-die attitude is who we are at West Ham, and I think we showed that again today.
Asseyi: I'm frustrated, but we won't let the result detract from an incredible season
Despite a final-day defeat at King Power Stadium, it was another stellar performance from our recently-crowned Hammer of the Year Viviane Asseyi, who was at her effervescent best to add two goals to her ever-growing collection and take her tally to 13 goals in all competitions for 2024/25.
Having headed in at half-time trailing 2-0 on Saturday, two second-half goals, including an incredible 20-yard free-kick, saw the 31-year-old twice halve the deficit, only for a long-range Sam Tierney goal after 69 minutes to put the contest beyond the Hammers - confirming our ninth-place finish this term.
And Asseyi was left frustrated that we couldn’t capitalise on our most fruitful moments of the WSL clash to achieve our joint-highest WSL finish in the Club’s history at King Power Stadium, but says it won't let the result detract from what has been an incredible season.
“I'm really frustrated because I think we can do more, but I think in the second half we showed better things and showed how we play normally, so it was good to come back, but it was a little bit late,” said Asseyi.
“But this is football, and this league is the best one, so you always have to be at your best. I'm also happy to be on this team because even if today wasn't that good, we enjoy playing together and I would just take the positives of this season.
“It was a long season with a lot of ups and downs, but what made the impact is that we stayed together, we played together and we enjoyed playing together. We put in effort for each other, and I think this is the main thing. Every day is a new day, you learn, but one day it will work, and you just have to keep going.
“It was really good for me this season, but to be honest, I would have preferred the three points today. Individual [accolades] are after the team’s results, but if I think individually, it was good, and like I always say, I can do better. There are a lot of opportunities in all the years that I have missed that I can have, but every day we learn, and I learn a lot of things, and I will work at it to be at my best again.
“I would say thanks to them (the fans) because they really helped us. Look at how many of them come away from home all the time and the way they are always pushing us.
“When I scored the free kick, I heard them. It was really loud, and this makes you have more power because we want all the best for them. We want them to enjoy watching us play every week.
“Thank you to them for their support, and thanks for voting me [as the Hammer of the Year] because I really appreciate it.”
