The Irons suffered a tough 3-2 defeat at Kingsmeadow at the hands of an unbeaten Chelsea team despite strong second half showing.
Fans were present this weekend in the Women’s Super League for the first time since February.
A hat-trick from Chelsea’s Sam Kerr was the difference as this defeat leaves West Ham in 10th place with just only four points, while Chelsea remain in 3rd.
Blues Early Lead
The Blues took an early lead on the 15-minute mark as Australian International Sam Kerr slid the ball home from a great pass from Francesca Kirby.
Just two minutes later the Hammers had a huge chance to draw level through Rachel Daly however, Chelsea goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger made the save one-on-one.
The rest of the half brought few chances for either team, until three minutes before halftime, Melaine Leupolz’s shot went straight at Irons keeper Mackenzie Arnold.
West Ham Fight Back
West Ham were off to a perfect in the second half as it took them just two minutes to equalise. Adriana Leon squared the ball for Daly to make to grab her second goal of the season.
It was short lived as only eight minutes later Kerr grabbed her second goal of the game after the West Ham defence failed to clear from Arnold’s save.
Shortly after, in the 68th minute, Kerr completed her hat-trick by converting Kirby’s pass making the score 3-1. Chelsea had a chance to put it to bed in the five minutes from time when Kirby’s shot was saved by Arnold.
Despite the Blues dominating possession, the Irons did get a goal back when Magalena Erkisson scored an own goal in the dying minutes of the game.
High Praise For Arnold
Despite the defeat, West Ham manager Billy Stewart was pleased with the performance, “I thought we were in the game right until the last seconds. To still be in with a chance of getting a point, or a result, against Chelsea with the last kick of the game, that shows a massive plus to this football club, to every player and to every member of staff who works hard here”.
He singled out goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold who made several saves to keep the game from going out of sight, “Mackenzie had a great game. She’s very critical of herself. We’ll look at all the goals and we’ll analyse it as a team, but Mackenzie is very critical of her own performance. I thought she had a fantastic game today”.
The Irons will be looking to bounce back against rock bottom Bristol City on Sunday away in Bristol, meanwhile Chelsea travel to Lisbon in a Champions League tie against Benfica.
