West Ham United women's team 0-0 Brighton & Hove Albion
Barclays Women's Super League, Chigwell Construction Stadium, Sunday 31 March 2024, 3pm BST
West Ham United women’s team were held to a 0-0 draw by Brighton & Hove Albion as the two sides played out a hard-fought contest in east London on Easter Sunday.
A fragmented first half never really got going as both sides cancelled each other out in a clash that carried all the hallmarks of a potential season-defining clash.
It was a cagey opening 45 minutes with very little in the way of clear-cut chances. A defensive lapse almost allowed the visitors to go ahead inside one minute when Li Mengwen’s cross from the right evaded everyone before coming to Elisabeth Terland, but her goalbound shot was brilliantly blocked by Amber Tysiak.
Terland was given another sight of goal on 22 minutes, after the ball bobbled on the edge of the six yard box, though her shot was a tame one and was easily caught by Mackenzie Arnold.
West Ham finished the first half strongly as they began to gain a foothold in the game. Emma Snerle’s long-range effort was gathered by Sophie Baggaley, before Riko Ueki headed wide from a good position after getting on the end of an Anouk Denton cross.
The momentum remained firmly in the Hammers’ favour when the second half got underway, with Ueki firing narrowly wide of the target .
The game suddenly sprung into life on the hour mark when Honoka Hayashi’s effort towards the top corner was tipped over the bar at full stretch, while at the other end Madison Haley’s shot – via a deflection – went just wide of the right-hand post.
Rehanne Skinner’s side continued to probe the Brighton defence and looked certain to score when Viviane Asseyi rose highest to meet Kirsty Smith’s cross and sent a header across goal, but narrowly wide.
Substitute Princess Ademiluyi was next to have an attempt at goal, but her effort was straight at Baggaley.
As both sides looked content with a point, Terland almost snatched the points in stoppage time for the visitors when her deflected effort struck the post before being heroically steered to safety.
West Ham United: Arnold ©, Smith, Tysiak, Shimizu, Zadorsky, Denton (Cooke 78), Hayashi, Snerle (Ziu 64), Harries (Ademiluyi 64), Ueki, Asseyi
Subs not used: Walsh, O’Hanlon, Bergman-Lundin, Cissoko
Booked: Ueki
Brighton & Hove Albion: Baggaley, Mengwen, Bergsvand, Carabali, Pattinson (Kullberg), Haley (Pinto 78), Losada (Symonds 66), Zigiotti, Robinson, Sarri (Geum-Min 66), Terland
Subs not used: Startup, Loeck, Johnson, McEwen, Dent
Booked: Losada, Zigiotti, Haley, Symonds
Referee: Kirsty Dowle
Attendance: 1,769
