Manchester City 5-0 West Ham United women's team
Barclays Women's Super League, Joie Stadium, Sunday 21 April 2024, 2.15pm BST
West Ham United women’s team fell to a disappointing 5-0 defeat to Manchester City at Joie Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
A fast start saw City score twice inside four minutes, with Leila Ouahabi and Bunny Shaw firing home emphatically to give them the advantage as the Irons came out of the blocks slowly on their travels.
Shaw added her second and her team’s third inside the first 30 minutes as the Irons struggled to deal with Gareth Taylor’s City in wide areas.
The Hammers went close when Viviane Asseyi saw an effort well saved by Khiara Keating, while the French forward and Riko Ueki both saw efforts cannon off the woodwork.
Laura Blindkilde Brown would add a fourth, before Jess Park fired in a fifth to seal the defeat for those in white.
Things got off to a shocking start for the Hammers, with Ouahabi finding space on the edge of the area as the ball was cut back, allowing the defender to slot home.
City added their second with only four minutes gone in the game, with Shaw being allowed to control the ball inside the area, firing into the top corner with her left foot.
West Ham were struggling to deal with the home side out on the flanks, with Laura Coombs and Yui Hasegawa picking out passes to Lauren Hemp and Mary Fowler, with Ouahabi and Laia Aleixandri overlapping to provide support.
More good play in wide areas saw Hemp deliver a delightful ball into the box that Shaw dived to attack, heading beyond Mackenzie Arnold for three for City.
Two minutes after the header from Shaw, Asseyi’s strike from close range was somehow kept out by Keating.
Coombs wrapped a shot from inside the area that was comfortable for Arnold, as the hosts continued to dominate possession and create opportunities.
A chipped ball into the area from Kirsty Smith found the head of Jess Ziu, but the Republic of Ireland international couldn’t keep her effort down.
Just before the half-time whistle sounded, the Irons flurried forward. Ueki’s initial shot from inside the area was well blocked by Alex Greenwood, but the rebound looked to be falling to Anouk Denton before Alana Kennedy cut across her path. Ziu then pulled the trigger, but her deflected shot smashed off the woodwork and was cleared away.
Looking to claw their way back into the game, Rehanne Skinner’s side struck the bar twice inside two minutes in the early stages of the second half, with Asseyi and Ueki seeing efforts bounce back in play.
Just after the hour mark, Ueki raced beyond Kennedy, but saw her fierce shot saved by Keating, as the Irons struggled to find a way back into the game despite creating opportunities.
West Ham were much improved in the second half, but it would be Manchester City that would add goals four and five before the game came to an end, with Blindkilde Brown and Park dealing the final blows on a disappointing day.
Manchester City: Keating, Aleixandri, Greenwood ©, Coombs (Blindkilde Brown 64), Fowler, Hemp, Ouahabi, Park, Shaw (Kelly 46), Hasegawa, Kennedy
Subs not used: Startup, Stokes, Houghton, Angeldahl, Morgan, Mace, Pritchard
Goals: Ouahabi 1, Shaw 4, 24, Blindkilde Brown 82, Park 87
West Ham United: Arnold ©, Smith, Cissoko, Zadorsky, Tysiak, Denton (Cooke 76), Shimizu, Hayashi (Bergman Lundin 83), Ueki, Ziu (Harries 68), Asseyi
Subs not used: Walsh, O’Hanlon, Snerle, Ademiluyi
Booked: Shimizu 58, Cissoko 84
Referee: Abigail Byrne
