West Ham United women's team 1-1 Liverpool
Barclays Women's Super League, Chigwell Construction Stadium, Sunday 29 September 2024, 3pm BST
Riko Ueki headed home an 86th-minute equaliser to earn West Ham United women’s team their first point of the Barclays Women’s Super League (WSL) season with a 1-1 draw at home to Liverpool.
The Hammers battled superbly to come from behind in their first match at the Chigwell Construction Stadium after Olivia Smith broke the deadlock for the visitors in the seventh minute. Following Ueki's late leveller, Kinga Szemik was on hand to produce two stunning reflex saves to deny the visitors an even later winner.
Rehanne Skinner named one change to the line-up that started at Old Trafford in the Hammers’ curtain-raiser last Saturday as vice-captain Shelina Zadorsky replaced Camila Sáez.
Meanwhile, Kirsty Smith and Kristie Mewis missed the visit of Liverpool through injury and illness respectively, while Ruby Doe was included in a competitive matchday squad for the first time.
Despite a bright start from the Hammers, Matt Beard's visitors took the lead on seven minutes through Smith’s curling left-footed effort, which Szemik at full stretch could do nothing about. The goalscorer then went close to doubling Liverpool’s advantage, but she sent her shot from just outside the box over the crossbar.
Having tried to break down the Liverpool defence with some clever through balls and neat one-touch football, the Hammers earned their first chance of the contest on 24 minutes when Viviane Asseyi was brought down on the edge of the penalty area. The attacker curled the resulting free-kick over the wall but the ball agonisingly landed on the roof of the net.
Building momentum, Skinner’s side came close to levelling the match ten minutes before the break when Ueki held the ball up well inside the box before laying it off to Emma Harries, whose low effort was held by Rachael Laws. At the other end, Marie Höbinger’s curling strike from outside the penalty area was claimed well by Szemik, which proved to be the last meaningful action of the first half.
Within 30 seconds of the restart, Liverpool threatened to add a second when Ceri Holland’s right-footed effort from the left corner of the box curled just past the far post and minutes later, Shannon Cooke had to be alert to divert Smith’s low delivery behind.
The Irons responded positively and almost forced an equaliser ten minutes into the second half. Superb pressing from Harries led to Anouk Denton receiving the ball on the byline and although she was able to dig out an inviting left-footed delivery, the cross just evaded the head of Ueki.
Again finding joy down the left-hand side, it was Harries’ turn to put in a cross after a well-worked one-two with Denton, but her ball in was smothered by Laws before it could reach Asseyi, who was waiting to pounce on a rebound.
The visiting goalkeeper then denied Amber Tysiak at the back post after the defender rose highest and produced a towering header from a corner ten minutes from time.
But the Hammers’ second-half pressure eventually told when in the 86th minute, Ueki latched onto Tysiak’s delivery, beating the onrushing Laws to the ball, and sending her header in under the crossbar.
The hosts still had to work for the point and had Szemik to thank for denying Liverpool a late winner. First, she got down low to beat away substitute Leanne Kiernan’s near-post effort before making a superb reflex stop to save Hinds’ strike in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
West Ham United: Szemik, Tysiak, Cooke, Zadorsky, Denton, Gorry ©, Brynjarsdóttir, Mengwen (Piubel 74), Harries (Paví 66), Ueki, Asseyi (Bergman Lundin 95)
Subs not used: M.Walsh (GK), Siren, Sáez, Houssein, Doe
Goal: Ueki 86
Booked: Gorry, Brynjarsdóttir
Liverpool: Laws, Parry (Daniëls 76), Matthews, Nagano, Román Haug (Kiernan 76), Smith (Enderby 76), Hinds ©, Hobinger, Clark (Fahey 79), Holland (Lundgaard 76), Bonner
Subs not used: Spencer (GK), Evans, Fahey, Kapocs, Silcock
Goal: Smith 7
Booked: Hinds, Laws
Referee: Abigail Byrne
Attendance: 1,799
Skinner: I'm really proud of the group for the determination and resilience they showed
Manager Rehanne Skinner was pleased that her side managed to find a way back into the game and secured their first point of the campaign in front of the home fans.
“I thought it was a really hard-fought game,” Skinner told West Ham TV. “Obviously we were disappointed to concede early on, but I think throughout the course of the game, after that, players dug in really deep. We adjusted a couple of things, and it created opportunities.
“I'm really proud of the group for the determination and resilience they showed. And, you know, there's definitely opportunities before we scored where we could have had more goals as well.
“There’s that never-say-die attitude about this group, and we want that. That is what West Ham United is about and that’s what I want us to do every week.
“Every single game is going to be a fight in this division, some will go our way and some won’t, and we have to still give a really good account of ourselves in every situation.
“We were delighted to be back at home in front of the fans,” she continued. “They got right behind us a few times, and one of those when it wasn’t really going our way at that point. I think it helped to massively shift the momentum.
“We’ve got three out of the first four WSL games away from home, so to be able to play here [at Chigwell Construction] today was big for us, and we’re really grateful for the support today.”
Zadorsky: When we play, keep the ball and create chances we can be really dangerous
Vice-captain Shelina Zadorsky believes West Ham United women’s team showed great character and just how dangerous they can be in Sunday's WSL draw with Liverpool.
“I think it showed a lot of character from the team, everyone who came on made a difference,” said Canada international defender Zadorsky, who made her first start of the 2024/25 season. “Being 1-0 down can be challenging but we didn’t give up, and to come back, Riko’s goal was amazing, and I think we kept creating more chances, so there’s a lot of positives to take from it.”
On Japan centre-forward Ueki’s equaliser, which saw the scorer bravely leap to nod home under pressure from Liverpool defenders, Zadorsky said: “I’m really proud of her. She’s really good in the air and so dominant, especially for her size, it’s really impressive.
“I’m happy for her and just the whole team. We come away with a point today and want to carry that momentum forward.
“Every game in this league is difficult, Liverpool are a great team but I think we showed we are too. When we play, keep the ball and create chances we can be really dangerous.”
The draw against Liverpool was the Irons’ first home match of the season and Zadorsky was delighted to be back playing in front of the West Ham faithful.
“It felt really good,” she said. “They were lively and loud which was nice to hear and hopefully we can continue to get big crowds for us because we love playing at home and we want to get wins here for them.”
The Hammers will return to the Chigwell Construction Stadium on Wednesday night when they host Portsmouth in the first match of their Women's League Cup campaign and Zadorsky hopes her side’s first point of the season can act as a driving force over the next week, with a trip to Manchester City to follow on Sunday.
“We’re footballers, we love to play games so it will be a great week and a good challenge,” she said. “Everyone will get minutes and that’s what the squad’s for, for everyone to continue to improve and we want to get three points on Wednesday.”
Asked about the squad’s morale, she concluded: “Today, before the game we were dancing. We know how to have a good time but we also know when we need to get serious, so I think there’s a really good balance this season with our new additions and the characters we have.”