West Ham United women's team 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur
Barclays Women's Super League, Chigwell Construction Stadium, Sunday 23 March, 12noon GMT
West Ham United women’s team claimed the bragging rights in Sunday’s London derby against Tottenham Hotspur with a 2-0 victory at Chigwell Construction Stadium.
The Irons, keeping their third league clean sheet of the campaign, had lift-off after 16 minutes when Verena Hanshaw’s low strike took a heavy deflection off the boot of visiting defender Josefine Rybrink, and they wrapped up the victory in second-half stoppage time when Viviane Asseyi’s free-kick nestled into the far corner.
Rehanne Skinner’s side could have netted more on the afternoon after creating an abundance of opportunities, as Oona Siren, Shekiera Martinez and Katrina Gorry all worked Lize Kop in the Spurs goal.
Saying that, the visitors themselves could have got on the scoresheet had the woodwork not come to the Hammers’ rescue to thwart efforts from Eveliina Summanen and Martha Thomas in either half.
The Irons’ fifth home win of the season not only moves them above their rivals in the Barclays Women’s Super League standings, but also sets another record for the women’s team: the most home victories they have picked up in a single campaign.
The first chance of the game fell to the visitors inside a quarter-of-an-hour when Shelina Zadorsky’s clearance ricocheted to Ella Morris inside the box, but her strike was beaten away by Kinga Szemik. At the other end, Martinez’s darting run down the left resulted in her slightly skewing her cross over the Claret and Blue shirts in the penalty area.
That gave the Hammers confidence, who, soon after, had the upper hand in the derby. Anouk Denton was alert to win the ball on halfway and release it to Asseyi. The France international burst towards the box and slipped through the onrushing Hanshaw, whose low effort found the back of the net via a deflection off Rybrink.
Spurs responded to going behind and forced Szemik into claiming and punching deliveries from Charli Grant and Summanen. But Skinner’s side, with confidence flowing through them, came forward again. Hanshaw was involved once more as her cross was swung and missed by Riko Ueki before the ball bobbled to Martinez, who steered a shot just wide of the post. Soon after, Asseyi’s deep cross floated just above the far-right corner of the net.
With ten minutes to go before half-time, the hosts could smell a second, and it nearly came when Siren’s header was well held by Kop from only a few yards out after the Finland international latched onto Amber Tysiak’s knock-down.
The end-to-end nature of the first period continued until the half-time whistle, as after Drew Spence flashed a shot just wide of Szemik’s right-hand post from outside of the box, Summanen crashed the bar from a free-kick in first-half stoppage time.
Tottenham head coach Robert Vilahamn sent on Anna Csiki at half-time, and his substitute was involved in the first opportunity of the second half. The No14 struck from inside the box, only to see her effort well blocked by her opposite number, Zadorsky.
West Ham hit back with a flurry of corners, and the second of Asseyi’s deliveries was directed just wide of the mark by a leaping Ueki. From another set-piece, the Irons’ No20’s delivery was flicked wide by Tysiak.
The best chance of the game then came to the Hammers on the hour mark as Martinez, who scuttled her way down the byline, fired at Kop’s near post, but the goalkeeper turned her effort behind for a corner. Spurs could only half-clear the set-piece and the ball fell to Gorry, whose low strike from range was met by Kop before the follow-up was turned into the side netting by the Irons’ Germany U23 international.
The woodwork saved West Ham in the first half, and it came to the home side’s rescue in the second when Martha Thomas met Morris’ cut-back with a strike that struck Szemik’s right post. The striker then sent a speculative volley on the turn over the crossbar before Ueki’s low effort was held by Kop.
Spurs’ late opportunities failed to break down West Ham’s resilient defence, and the Hammers went on to secure the three points in second-half stoppage time when Asseyi’s teasing free-kick ghosted into the far corner to win the spoils in the London derby.
West Ham United: Szemik, Denton (Smith 65), Zadorsky, Tysiak, Hanshaw, Siren (Brynjarsdóttir 90+1), Gorry ©, Martinez (Ademiluyi 84), Asseyi, Paví (Piubel 64), Ueki
Subs not used: M.Walsh (GK), Nyström, Sáez, Mengwen, Harries
Goals: Rybrink (OG) 16, Asseyi 90
Booked: Paví
Tottenham Hotspur: Kop, Grant (Naz 63), Morris, Bartrip ©, Nildén, Oroz (Csiki 46), Holdt (Vinberg 63), Rybrink, Thomas (Raso 84), Spence, Summanen
Subs not used: Heeps (GK), Hunt, Bühler, Neville, Gunning-Williams
Booked: Spence
Referee: Stacey Pearson
Attendance: 1,859
