Anouk Denton says that West Ham United women’s team can be proud of their second half showing against Manchester United on Sunday afternoon.
The Irons came back from a goal down in the Barclays Women’s Super League contest at Chigwell Construction Stadium to pick up a point against the Red Devils, which was thanks to a spirited second 45 minutes.
Rachel Williams had put the away side ahead after only four minutes, and from then, Rehanne Skinner’s Hammers had to weather a lot of pressure in the first half.
However, Denton and her teammates were much more like their usual selves when they came back onto the pitch and would ultimately earn their equaliser with five minutes of normal time. A lovely move saw the ball go from back to front, eventually arriving at the feet of Viviane Asseyi, who continued her fantastic form in 2024 by lobbing the ball over Mary Earps to level the game at 1-1.
The full back was back in the starting XI for the draw, and was pleased with the way the team responded to earn the point.
“We really came out a lot stronger in the second half,” Denton told whufc.com.
"In the first 45 minutes we were a little bit late to the press, which made things a lot tougher for us because we found ourselves recovering a lot more because the game was transitional.
"In the second half, we knew that we had to close those big gaps, and we were able to press and move the ball much more effectively, and that was really important for us creating the opportunities that we did.
“It’s another really good point for us, another point at home in front of the plans, so we’re pleased we were able to come back.”
The 20-year-old defender was making her 10th start of the season in the draw with United, which saw her go up against the experienced Leah Galton and high-flying forward Nikita Parris for 72 minutes until she was substituted for Shannon Cooke.
And after making five appearances for the Hammers in the 2022/23 season, when she rejoined the Club in January after a spell in the United States of America, Denton feels that she is developing well in Claret & Blue.
“I know that I’ve still got a lot of development still to go and a lot of work to do, but I think playing against top opposition is always a fantastic way to learn.
“Rehanne [Skinner] is a fantastic coach, I love how honest she is with all of us. If you’re not in the team she will tell you why and where you need to improve, which I think is good for everyone because you know exactly where you stand and what you need to do to improve.
“There’s so many parts of my game that I still need to progress with, and I’m looking forward to continuing to do that over the remainder of the season.”
Anouk in #YoungLionesses action 💥 pic.twitter.com/cBHqzL9aar
— West Ham United Women (@westhamwomen) February 23, 2024
Whilst Denton was up against a number of senior Lionesses on Sunday afternoon, the week prior she had been interacting with them out in Marbella as she formed part of the England U23 side that was also out in Spain.
The Young Lionesses took on Spain and the Netherlands in two friendly matches, with Denton featuring in the first match that was watched by the entire England senior squad, as well as Manager Sarina Wiegman.
“It was a really great experience for me during the international break. We played two really tough games in a lovely place, and it was really good to get a good amount of minutes too.
“It’s really cool to have the seniors there. To be in the same hotel as them and to see them how they actually are as people was great. You get to watch them in training and see the level that you need to reach to make that step up, which is the goal for all of us in the U23s team.
“There’s definitely a big gap between us and the seniors, but it’s really good to have those interactions and to see that it’s not too far out of reach. I have to keep working hard for both Club and country to be rewarded with more opportunities, and that’s what I’ll keep doing,” Denton concluded.
