1. Super Shekiera!
Could Shekiera Martinez have wished to have made a bigger impact on West Ham United women’s team since returning to the Club in January from her loan at SC Freiburg?
Her first Hammers goal came in her first Barclays Women’s Super League start against Everton and two league games later she was on target against Brighton & Hove Albion at Chigwell Construction Stadium.
Then, after waltzing her way through Arsenal’s defence at Meadow Park in March, Martinez’s best afternoon yet in Claret and Blue so far came on Sunday, against league leaders Chelsea.
With her side two goals down, she finished with aplomb three minutes before half-time to give the Hammers hope heading into the second period. They then took the game to Sonia Bompastor’s side and finally reaped the rewards of their efforts when the Germany U23 international ghosted in at the far post to head home Kirsty Smith’s cross in second-half stoppage time.
That made it five goals in eight league outings for Martinez. What a start to life at West Ham she is having!
2. A landmark game for Rehanne and Riko
Fifty was the magic number for Rehanne Skinner and Riko Ueki on Sunday, and both could not have wished for a better way to celebrate their landmark West Ham appearances, in the dugout and on the pitch respectively.
Japan international Ueki was influential on her half-century of appearances as she assisted Martinez for the Hammers’ opener.
“I love this team, so I’m so happy to have played 50 games for West Ham. I’m quite surprised it’s gone that quickly!” Ueki smiled.
Meanwhile, Manager Skinner hailed the work of her players and staff for the progression they have made during her 20 months in charge.
“I'm really pleased for the team and proud of the performance, and credit goes to the players and all the staff that work solidly behind the scenes,” she said. “It's been hard, and [we've been] improving, and obviously we're in a really great place now, 50 games down the line.”
3. Halting the leaders
League leaders Chelsea had not dropped points in a home league game this season. In fact, the last WSL match they failed to win in front of their own fans came over a year ago, in February 2024.
Enter Skinner’s West Ham, who are now up to seventh in the standings and only three points off fifth-place Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Blues suffered a rare blue day at Kingsmeadow, and it was the ever-improving Irons who were the team to stop their winning run on home turf at long last.
4. Brimming with confidence
Following Sunday’s dramatic encounter, 18 Hammers players set off to represent their respective countries during the April international window - and they will all be brimming with confidence, not just because of the last-gasp draw with Chelsea.
Unbeaten in three and up to seventh in the WSL table, the Hammers have recently set two new home records and gone toe-to-toe with some of the toughest opponents the league has to offer, and they still have four more games remaining to make this campaign even more memorable than it is already.
A strong finish, with three of the four remaining matches against teams below them in the table, and West Ham could yet have just a second-ever top-half WSL finish to celebrate come Saturday 10 May.
