Szemik

Tysiak

Cooke (Brynjarsdottir)

Zadorsky

Denton

Gorry

Siren

Mengwen

Piubel (Pavi)

Ueki

Asseyi (Harries)

A second-half penalty from Mariona Caldentey and a late Rosa Kafaji strike condemned West Ham United's women's team to a 2-0 defeat against Arsenal. After a goalless first-half at Chigwell Construction Stadium, the Hammers fell behind after 71 minutes following Caldentey's composed finish from the spot, before Kafaji confirmed maximum points for the Gunners in the closing stages after her drilled close-range effort from Stina Blackstenius' cutback. 

Having secured a historic first-ever victory over the Gunners last season, and starting this season positively, you could sense the confidence from Rehanne Skinner and players to record back-to-back victories over their London rivals right from the opening whistle, and the home side began dominating possession and territory. 

It took just three minutes to create the first chance of the afternoon in the pouring east London rain when Viviane Asseyi was fouled on the edge of the box. The forward dusted herself down to step up and take the free-kick, only for her attempted curling effort to go over the bar. 

At the other end, the Hammers overplayed at the back and Frida Maanum had a chance to shoot towards goal, but she was off balance and skewed her attempt high and wide. 

The clash was something of a slow burner to begin with, but sprung into life just before the midway point of the first half as the visitors had two chances in quick succession. Firstly, when the ball was worked into the West Ham box and to the feet of Alessia Russo, with the forward’s shot drifting just wide of Kinga Szemik’s far post, before Caldentey picked up the ball on the right flank and fed a pass to an underlapping Emily Fox, but the right-back's effort was stopped by the stretched legs of the Polish goalkeeper.

After the break, both sides spurned good chances, with Katie McCabe darting in from the right, and shooting from a tight angle straight at Szemik. Back came West Ham, who fashioned a chance of their own as Asseyi twisted and turned inside the box before her effort crept just wide of Daphne van Domselaar’s near post.

A quadruple change with just over 30 minutes left signaled Renee Slegers' intent to turn the tide, as Beth Mead, Blackstenius, Kyra Cooney-Cross and Kafaji were introduced. The substitutions almost paid an instant dividend too, when Russo’s clever reverse pass played in Blackstenius, who was only denied by a quality save from Szemik. 

However, midway through the half, the game’s turning point came when Caldentey sent Szemik the wrong way from the spot after Blackstenius was brought down by Amber Tysiak to the left of the area. Substitute Emma Harries then climbed off the bench as the Hammers sought a route back into the game. And the England U23 international almost had an immediate impact, rising above a Gunners defender and glancing Riko Ueki’s cross straight at van Domselaar. 

West Ham suddenly had more of a presence in the final third, but in committing numbers forward the visitors were also presented with opportunities.

Moments after entering the fray in place of Shannon Cooke, Dagný Brynjarsdóttir came agonisingly close to snatching a point as her back-post header was brilliantly kept out by van Domselaar.

With the Irons chasing a leveller, gaps on the break appeared and the visitors made it two soon after as Blackstenius embarked on a marauding run from halfway and picked out Kafaji for a first-time finish to secure maximum points.