1. An evening of firsts
While it was the final home match of 2024, the 3-0 dispatching of Southampton marked a number of firsts for the West Ham United women’s team squad.
It was 18-year-old Soraya Walsh’s first senior appearance for the Hammers and she impressed on her debut, working tirelessly down the left-hand side. Although she was withdrawn just after the hour mark, it was Daniella Way who came on in her place and Rehanne Skinner was delighted to be able to hand out more minutes to the younger players in the squad.
After a mostly uneventful first half, Skinner’s half-time substitutions sparked the game into life as Shelina Zadorsky - who replaced Kirsty Smith at the break - was on hand to slot home her first goal for the Club on 60 minutes after Benedicte Haland parried away Shannon Cooke’s header.
And more landmarks were checked off in second-half stoppage time, as Dagný Brynjarsdóttir fired in her first goal since giving birth to her son in February. It was clear how much the goal meant to her, with the West Ham players quick to celebrate with the Iceland international.
“It was a special feeling,” said Brynjarsdóttir in her post-match interview. “I put in a lot of hard work to be in the place that I’m in now, so I’m happy I was able to help the team.
“It was very nice to get my first goal postpartum, that was always going to be a special one. It’s a goal that I’m always going to remember.”
2. In the hat for the quarter-final draw
West Ham United are Women’s League Cup quarter-finalists once more.
The Hammers were the only Barclays Women’s Super League outfit in Group C and with that came a sense of expectation. But the players showed no signs of that pressure weighing on their shoulders, as they ran out convincing winners in all three of their fixtures.
No matter the number of changes Skinner made to her sides, there were to be no upsets or shocks, with the Irons displaying their WSL class to top the competition’s scoring charts with 13 goals to their name.
Details for the quarter-final draw will be announced in due course and West Ham could face Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Brighton & Hove Albion, Tottenham Hotspur or Durham.
3. Rock solid at the back
Skinner made three changes to her back four for the visit of Southampton, with Li Mengwen, Cooke and Camila Sáez taking to the Dagenham turf.
They gave Southampton nothing, not a sniff at goal, as they stood firm to carry the Hammers to their second clean sheet of the campaign.
While the amount of goals the Irons are scoring is fantastic to see, and Cooke could have got on the scoresheet with a header that came back off the post, shutting out the opposition is equally as vital - and breeds more confidence for the side.
4. Ending 2024 in Dagenham on a high
The women’s team have lost just one match at Chigwell Construction Stadium in all competitions this term.
Hard to beat, Skinner’s side are thriving in Dagenham and using the unwavering support of the Claret and Blue crowd to their advantage.
Scoring three unanswered goals past Southampton also marked the Hammers’ third successive victory at home, stretching their unbeaten record at Chigwell Construction Stadium back to 20 October.
The past four days have been the perfect way to bring the curtain down on 2024 in Dagenham, and the Irons will be determined to pick up where they left off next year with home games against Liverpool, Chelsea and Everton already in the calendar in January.
5. Confidence ahead of Villa
There’s just one final push for West Ham prior to the Christmas break - and it comes at Villa Park in the WSL on Sunday.
Skinner could not have wished for a better run of form heading into the 2024 finale and the Hammers will be gunning to provide the perfect Christmas present for the supporters at the weekend.
