Crystal Palace v West Ham United women's team
Barclays Women's Super League, VBS Community Stadium, Sunday 27 April 2025, 12.30pm BST
West Ham United women’s team are looking to extend their unbeaten run to five matches when they travel to Crystal Palace in the Barclays Women’s Super League on Sunday.
The Hammers head into the clash at VBS Community Stadium in Sutton off the back of a hard-fought point at home to third-place Manchester United last time out, in which they kept their fourth league clean sheet of the campaign - and their second in the last three matches.
With only three games of the season remaining, there is a lot of positivity around Chadwell Heath, and the women’s team have the opportunity to make history if they are to win the remaining matches, as they seek to better the Club's record seasonal haul of 27 points in the WSL.
With the Hammers currently on 20 points with three games to play, up next is a trip to bottom-of-the-table Crystal Palace, who were last in action on Wednesday night, suffering a 4-0 defeat at league leaders Chelsea.
The Eagles will be fired up for the fixture, as they know anything less than a win will all-but confirm their relegation to the Barclays Women’s Championship, so Rehanne Skinner’s side will be anticipating a tough test this weekend.
Here’s everything you need to know about our game with Palace...
Tickets...
You still have time to be part of our away following at the VBS Community Stadium! Tickets can be purchased from £10 for Adults and £5 for U18s by clicking HERE or calling the Ticket Office on 0333 030 1966.
Please note, all tickets will be issued in a digital format via a PDF.
How To Follow…
Our clash against Crystal Palace will be broadcast on the BBC Red Button and streamed on BBC iPlayer, for viewers in the UK. Coverage from the VBS Community Stadium will commence from 12.15pm.
Alternatively, you can also keep up-to-date via a live blog on our website and app, and across our social media channels, while highlights and exclusive reaction will follow after the final whistle on whufc.com.
Travel…
For supporters travelling via train, it is recommended that you use Sutton station, which is served by regular services out of Victoria and London Bridge, and is about a 20-minute walk from the stadium.
West Sutton railway station is adjacent to the ground. It is served by Thameslink trains via Wimbledon or Sutton, but trains are less frequent.
Fans who are driving are recommended to park in Gibson Road, a local municipal car park (SM1 2RF). The car park is open from 9.30am to 6pm and it takes 15 minutes to walk from Gibson Road to the ground.
Opposition…
Crystal Palace have endured a difficult first-ever season in England’s top flight. Sitting on nine points, accumulated through two wins and three draws from 19 matches, the Eagles will need to be firing on all cylinders in their remaining games if they are to survive the drop back to the Championship.
It was former Tottenham Hotspur assistant head coach Laura Kaminski who spearheaded Palace’s charge to the WSL in 2023/24, as they recorded 14 wins and just four defeats from their 22 Championship matches in her first season in charge of the south London outfit.
But, following one league victory from 14 games, she left the club at the end of February and was succeeded by Norwegian manager Leif Smerud.
The 48-year-old, a former Lillestrøm and Lyn midfielder who represented his country at U15, U17, U18, U20 and U21 level, was previously in charge of Norway's men's U21s, whom he took to their third UEFA European U21 Championship finals in 2023. He also enjoyed a brief spell as assistant manager with Norway women’s senior team, with whom he won a bronze medal at the 2009 Women’s Euros.
Smerud’s first game in charge of the Eagles was a narrow WSL defeat at home to Liverpool on Sunday 2 March before Chelsea beat them by a single goal in the quarter-finals of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup at Kingsmeadow. But despite shipping three and four unanswered goals to Everton and Arsenal respectively, Palace did record a 3-1 win at home to second-from-bottom Aston Villa in March.
On the scoresheet that afternoon against the Villians was Katie Stengel, who is Palace’s joint-top scorer this term with three goals, and has also contributed a team-high three assists. The 33-year-old former Liverpool striker joined last summer, penning a two-year deal from National Women's Soccer League club Gotham FC.
On Wednesday night, Palace suffered their 14th defeat of the league season at the hands of leaders Chelsea, conceding two goals in either half. They will also be without defender Allyson Swaby for the game on Sunday, as she was shown a straight red card for hauling down Sjoeke Nüsken just outside the box at Kingsmeadow.
Previous Meetings…
West Ham have only met Crystal Palace once in the WSL, which came in December when Rehanne Skinner’s side stormed to a monumental 5-2 victory at Chigwell Construction Stadium.
Having fallen two goals down early on, the Hammers turned the game on its head before half-time courtesy of goals from Viviane Asseyi, Seraina Piubel and Manuela Paví.
Then, late into the second half, Anouk Denton scored a stunning strike with her weaker foot - which was nominated for the WSL’s December Goal of the Month - before Katrina Gorry rounded off a bumper afternoon in east London from close range.
The two sides have also met before in cup competitions. West Ham stormed to a 7-0 victory in the Women's League Cup group stage the last time, in December 2019, a game in which Kenza Dali and Kate Longhurst both netted braces.
