West Ham United women’s team v Liverpool
Adobe Women's FA Cup fourth round, Chigwell Construction Stadium, Wednesday 29 January 2025, 7.45pm GMT
Another match at Chigwell Construction Stadium awaits West Ham United women's team, but this time, all eyes are on the Adobe Women’s FA Cup as Liverpool make their second trip of the season to east London for a rearranged fourth-round tie.
The two sides couldn’t be separated in September when Riko Ueki headed home an 85th-minute equaliser to earn the Hammers their first point of the Barclays Women's Super League campaign after Olivia Smith’s early opener in the first half.
Since then, both teams have gone on to win three WSL matches, with the Hammers buoyed by their 2-0 success over Everton on Sunday. As for the Reds, they will be hoping to bounce back from their 2-1 defeat against Leicester City at the weekend.
Wednesday's match will once again see former Hammers boss Matt Beard, who led West Ham to the Women’s FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium in 2019, take his spot in the opposition dugout as he looks to help Liverpool progress in the competition.
A fifth-round match at FA Women's National League Northern Premier Division side Rugby Borough is up for grabs in what is set to be a mouth-watering cup tie in Dagenham, and the game will go to extra-time and penalties should the score be level after 90 minutes.
Here’s everything you need to know about the clash against the Reds…
Tickets...
Make sure you're there to experience the magic of the cup, and buy your tickets HERE!
All tickets purchased for the original fixture will be valid for Wednesday night. For any further enquiries, please email [email protected].
Tickets can also be bought from the Ticket Office (subject to availability), located at Chigwell Construction Stadium up until kick-off on Wednesday. The Ticket Office will be open from 5.45pm. Please note, Chigwell Construction Stadium has now gone cashless.
How To Follow…
Besides attending the game in person, supporters can watch the tie live on the Adobe Women’s FA Cup YouTube channel and the FA Player. Both platforms are available to access for free!
You can also keep up to date with all the action via a live blog here on the Club's official website and app, while a match report, exclusive reaction and highlights will follow the full-time whistle.
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…
Beard led the Reds to the quarter-finals of the Women’s FA Cup last season, beating Bristol City and London City Lionesses before falling short at home to Leicester City in the final eight.
Liverpool have reached the semi-finals on three occasions over the past 14 seasons and are sure to be fired up in the hope of claiming a spot in the fifth round.
And they will be buoyed by the addition of two loan signings made so far in the January transfer window in Sam Kerr from FC Bayern Munich and Julia Bartel from Chelsea.
One player who joined in the summer was Canada international Smith, who became the club’s record signing following her move from Sporting Lisbon.
Since then, the 20-year-old has netted three times in the WSL, including twice in her last two league matches, and has become one of Beard’s go-to attacking assets.
Meanwhile, after her first season in red last term, Mia Enderby is settling into life at Liverpool this season, and Beard may turn to her for more joy in cup competitions.
The Reds boss showed his faith in her before the winter break, handing the 19-year-old starts against Manchester United and Arsenal, and while she is yet to get off the mark in the WSL, she found the back of the net on four occasions in the Subway® Women’s League Cup - scoring braces against Newcastle United and local rivals Everton.
Another player to watch is two-time WSL winning defender Gemma Bonner, who has been ever-present in Beard’s side this term.
The centre-back is currently enjoying her second spell at Liverpool - having captained the club to back-to-back top-flight titles under Beard in 2013 and 2014 - after rejoining the Reds in January 2023.
An England international, Bonner previously plied her trade for Chelsea and Manchester City before making a move to the National Women's Soccer League, where she spent one-and-a-half years at Racing Louisville.
Elsewhere, manager Beard won the FA Women's Premier League Southern Division title with Millwall in 2009, led Chelsea to the FA Women’s Cup final in 2012, and then won back-to-back WSL titles and was named FA WSL Manager of the Year in 2013 and 2014 during his first spell at Liverpool.
After a year in America with Boston Breakers, Beard joined West Ham in 2018 and duly led the newly professional Hammers to the FA Women’s Cup final at Wembley Stadium in his first season.
After a short spell at Bristol City, the Roehampton-born Beard returned to Liverpool in summer 2021 and immediately guided the Reds to the FA Women's Championship title, before achieving seventh and fourth-place WSL finishes, adding a third FA WSL Manager of the Year award last season.
Previous Meetings…
The last two meetings between the two teams at Chigwell Construction Stadium have ended in 1-1 draws, with Ueki conjuring up late equalisers on both occasions. But the last time the Reds left Dagenham victorious was back in October 2018.
Japan international Ueki was also on the scoresheet in the reverse fixture in March last term, however, Liverpool ran out 3-1 winners that afternoon.
In all competitions, Liverpool have come out on top in four matches, West Ham in two, and there have been four draws between the two teams.
