West Ham United women’s team v Chelsea
Barclays Women's Super League, Chigwell Construction Stadium, Sunday 19 January 2025, 3pm GMT
With last weekend’s Adobe Women’s FA Cup fourth-round tie against Liverpool postponed due to the freezing winter weather, it is a London derby to kick-off 2025 for West Ham United women’s team.
West Ham went into the festive break with back-to-back home Barclays Women’s Super League wins over Leicester City and Crystal Palace, scoring six goals in the process, in addition to a comfortable victory over Southampton in the Women's League Cup group stage.
There is confidence flowing through Rehanne Skinner's squad, then, but as far as first WSL matches of the year go, Sunday's clash at home to Chelsea will pose a significant challenge for the Hammers.
Sonia Bompastor’s new-look side have taken the league by storm, creating a six-point buffer between themselves and second-place Manchester City at the top of the WSL standings, winning nine and losing just one of their ten matches to date. A strong Blues team dispatched of Charlton Athletic in the Women’s FA Cup last Sunday, too.
The west Londoners are yet to lose against the Irons in the WSL, but the unpredictable nature of a derby takes form out of the window, and the Hammers will be determined to keep the bragging rights in east London come full-time.
Here is everything you need to know about the visit of the Blues...
Tickets...
Make sure to get your ticket for the women’s team’s first game of 2025 HERE!
Tickets can also be bought from the Ticket Office at Chigwell Construction Stadium (subject to availability) from 1pm until kick-off on matchday. Please note, Chigwell Construction Stadium has now gone cashless.
How To Follow…
Our London derby against Chelsea will be live streamed on our YouTube channel! Tune in on Sunday to follow all of the action from Chigwell Construction Stadium.
Alternatively, you can also keep up-to-date across our social media channels, while highlights and exclusive reaction will follow after the final whistle on whufc.com.
Travel…
The most convenient way to reach Chigwell Construction Stadium is by public transport.
Dagenham East station on the London Underground's District line is situated about 500 metres from the ground. On exiting the station, turn left, and the ground is in Victoria Road, which is the fifth turning on the left-hand side after about 400 metres. You will see the stadium at the end of the cul-de-sac.
For those travelling by bus, fans can take the 103 from either Romford railway station, which is served by Greater Anglia, TfL's Elizabeth line, and London Overground, or Rainham station, which is served by c2c rail services. The 103 has stops on both sides of Rainham Road South, just north of Victoria Road.
Supporters using public transport are advised to check their journeys before they travel, using resources such as TfL’s Journey Planner and the TfL Go app. Supporters may also wish to visit the National Rail website if travelling on the rail network.
No parking is available at Chigwell Construction Stadium. Street parking in the local area is available, but motorists should take note of restrictions.
Opposition…
To say Sonia Bompastor had big shoes to fill when replacing Emma Hayes at Chelsea is certainly an understatement. The former Blues boss racked up 14 major trophies in a 12-year stay in west London before taking up a new challenge as head coach of the United States women's national team.
But Frenchwoman Bompastor has made light work of replacing such a cult hero at Chelsea, guiding her side to the top of the WSL table and topping the league’s scoring charts by some distance.
The 44-year-old joined the Blues from Lyon, ending a three-year spell as the manager of a side for whom she made more than 80 appearances for as a player.
While in charge of the French club, Bompastor - who made more than 150 appearances for her national team - won the Division 1 Feminine on three occasions, and is the only person to have won the UEFA Women's Champions League as a player and manager.
One of her summer signings was Lucy Bronze, who has one of the most decorated CVs in the women’s game. Three WSL titles, five Champions League successes, two FA Cup triumphs and a history-making UEFA Women's European Championship title are just to name a few of the trophies the Lioness has to her name. The 33-year-old joined Chelsea in the summer after two seasons at Barcelona having previously played for Manchester City, Liverpool, Everton and Lyon and has won every domestic honour there is to win in England.
The right-back was awarded Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2023 for her services to football.
Since joining in the summer of 2019, Guro Reiten has become a firm fan favourite at Chelsea. The Norway international has made more than 170 appearances for the London club, scoring 53 goals in all competitions, and has not known a season without winning the WSL title.
A mainstay in the Norway national team, Reiten is Chelsea’s top scorer in the league this term with six goals and has been ever present in Bompastor’s attacking line-up.
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd got the Bompastor era up and running in September with what proved to be the winning goal against Aston Villa in the Blues’ first game of the 2024/25 campaign. Since then, the 27-year-old has gone on to contribute a further three goals and two assists in the league.
Like Reiten, Kaneryd has started every WSL fixture this term and is thriving with the increased responsibility on her shoulders.
At the time of writing, Chelsea are yet to make any movements in the January transfer window but have seen Júlia Bartel and Aimee Claypole depart on loan to Liverpool and Durham for the rest of the campaign.
As well as Bronze, Bompastor added PSG duo Sandy Baltimore and Oriane Jean-Francois to her squad in the summer, alongside Louna Ribadeira from Paris FC, Maelys Mbope from Montpeillier and Veerle Buurman from PSV.
Meanwhile, there was a mass exodus in Bompastor’s first transfer window at the club with 15 players leaving, either in permanent moves, on loan or having been released - most notably with Frank Kirby departing having played more than 190 games for Chelsea.
Previous Meetings…
Chelsea have had the better of the meetings between the two sides, boasting an unbeaten record against the Hammers.
West Ham did gain a point in the clash at Stamford Bridge in 2019, which saw Gilly Flaherty equalise against her former club to cancel out Bethany England's first-half opener. Overall, in 17 meetings, Chelsea have won 16.
