Six of the best
West Ham United women's team were red-hot in front of goal in their emphatic 6-1 win over Portsmouth at Chigwell Construction Stadium, as they made the perfect start to their Women’s League Cup group.
The tie against the Women's Championship outfit could have been viewed as a potential banana skin, but the Hammers turned on the style in the early stages of the second half, with Viviane Asseyi coming off the bench and scoring two goals in two minutes to put the contest firmly in the hands of the side wearing Claret and Blue.
There were some superb goals too! The pick of the bunch came from Emma Harries just before half-time, with the England U23 international receiving the ball in space and delightfully chipping the ball over Pompey goalkeeper Eve Annets.
Clinical attacking play
As mentioned, West Ham’s forwards were on song in the victory, and manager Rehanne Skinner hopes that it will provide them all with a massive confidence boost.
Summer signing Seraina Piubel started things off, creating space for herself on 13 minutes to slot in her first goal since joining the Club. After Harries’ aforementioned chip, she would grab one more in the second half and score a brace alongside Viviane Asseyi. Riko Ueki then came off the bench and headed home goal number six late on to mark a fantastic evening for the forward line.
"It’s a confidence boost for all the goalscorers,” the manager explained.
“I think it was Vivi [Asseyi's] first touch when she scored her first, and Riko [Ueki] obviously came on and had an impact and scored a goal as well from a set play. Emma [Harries'] runs and creating opportunities that she did were good. The header across the front post is just such a good finish as well. I think, for all of them, it’s just a really good confidence boost.
“I don’t think we’ve had as many chances as we would have maybe liked in some of the games that we’ve had prior to now, but today was a great opportunity to try and get them off and running, and the team capitalised on those opportunities.”
Minutes for new signings
Skinner made nine changes to the side that drew with Liverpool last Sunday, as she looked to give opportunities to players who had yet to feature this season, whilst also having one eye on this weekend’s fixture away at Manchester City.
Included in the starting XI were Oona Siren, Manuela Paví, Camila Sáez and Switzerland international Piubel, all of whom joined the Club in the summer transfer window.
Finland international Siren was making her first appearance in Claret and Blue, while Paví and Piubel were handed their first starts of the season as they continue to adapt to life here in England.
There was also a first start handed to Marika Bergman Lundin, who partnered Siren in the middle of the park, while young Türkiye international Halle Houssein played her first minutes under Skinner, having been out on loan at Reading last term.
Young players take their chance
There were also opportunities given to some of the younger players in Skinner’s squad on Wednesday evening. Defender Marnie Morrison and forward Ruby Doe both made their West Ham debuts for the clash, while full back Daniella Way was introduced in the second half from the bench.
18-year-old Morrison impressed at the heart of the West Ham defence and was voted by West Ham supporters as Player of the Match for her assured performance.
Unfortunately, Doe’s evening was cut short when she was replaced due to injury in the first half.
‘We want six’
“We want six” and “we want seven” were the chants from the crowd as the scoreboard ticked down at Chigwell Construction Stadium.
The West Ham supporters that had come out to support the team were treated to a display that had a bit of everything.
It’s the women’s team’s biggest win since beating Chichester & Selsey 11-0 in the Women’s FA Cup back in 2021, and Hammers fans will be hoping that the confidence gained from such a big win will seep into future performances across the season.
Skinner praised the supporters for coming out to cheer on the team over the past three days in her post-match interview, and hopes that they will do so throughout the 2024/25 campaign.
Building momentum
After securing a positive draw against Liverpool in the previous home fixture, the Hammers now have plenty of momentum to take with them to the North-West on Sunday when they face Manchester City at the Joie Stadium.
Indeed, the Irons now have two consecutive trips to the region, and will face Everton the following weekend at Walton Hall Park, before returning to Dagenham to face Arsenal on 20 October.
Skinner will be hoping that her side can use the confidence they’ve gained from the past two fixtures over the coming weeks before domestic football pauses at the end of the month for the first international break of the campaign.
Tickets for the home fixture against the Gunners are available to purchase now by CLICKING HERE or on the graphic below!
