West Ham United women's team 0-2 Chelsea
Barclays Women's Super League, Chigwell Construction Stadium, Sunday 24 March, 4.30pm GMT
West Ham United women's team were unfortunate to fall to a 2-0 defeat by Chelsea in the Barclays Women’s Super League on Sunday afternoon.
After Viviane Asseyi headed West Ham’s first attack wide, the Blues took the lead inside two minutes when Aggie Beever-Jones found the bottom left corner, although the Hammers were unlucky not to level the match before the break.
Buoyed on a successive crowd of over 3,500 in Dagenham, left wing-back Kirsty Smith struck wide from six yards out, while Honoka Hayashi, and most in attendance, were left bemused when she was adjudged offside after poking home from inside the area.
Despite Katrina Gorry leaving the field midway through the first half, chances continued to fall to the battling hosts, who more than held their own against the reigning WSL champions.
The best saw Riko Ueki hit the bar from 25 yards out, while Chelsea and Beever-Jones might have had a second had West Ham skipper Mackenzie Arnold not been quickly off her line to sweep up the danger.
A well-drilled back three of Risa Shimizu, Shelina Zadorsky, and Amber Tysiak continued to frustrate Chelsea after the break, as the attacking trio of Jess Ziu, Ueki, and Asseyi also led the charge for the equaliser.
Ueki went close on the counter-attack and forced a neat save from Chelsea goalkeeper Hampton – albeit from an offside position – while Asseyi’s whipped free-kick clipped the roof of the net.
Chelsea though would grab a second when second-half substitute Erin Cuthbert’s found the roof the net with a stunning swing of her right foot on the edge of the area on 88 minutes.
Unable to follow positive results against Manchester United and Arsenal on home soil, a narrow defeat result on Women’s Football Weekend leaves West Ham in 11th place in the WSL.
Rehanne Skinner’s side have five fixtures – against Brighton & Hove Albion, Manchester City, Aston Villa, Leicester City, and Tottenham Hotspur – left to conclude 2023/24 and will take confidence from a positive performance, despite the final result, against the leaders.
West Ham United: Arnold, Denton (Cissoko 82), Shimizu, Zadorsky, Tysiak, Smith, Hayashi, Gorry (Bergman Lundin 21), Ziu (Snerle 65), Ueki, Asseyi (Harries 82)
Sub not used: Walsh (GK), O’Hanlon (GK), Cooke, Ademiluyi
Booked: Bergman Lundin
Chelsea: Hampton, Nusken (Macario 55), Carter, Leupolz, James (Kirby 63), Lawrence, Rytting-Kaneryd (Reiten 82), Charles ©, Buchanan, Cankovic (Cuthbert 55), Beever-Jones (Ramirez 63)
Subs not used: Musovic (GK), Ingle, Perisset, Bjorn
Goal: Beever-Jones 2 Cuthbert 88
Booked: Leupolz
