West Ham 0-2 Arsenal: Substitutes change the game as Gunners leave East London with three points

After a turbulent week for the club, interim boss Renée Slegers will have left the Chigwell Construction Stadium relieved as her side battled hard in the rain for a 2-0 win against a struggling West Ham side. A quiet first half put many Arsenal fans on edge after last season’s shock 2-1 defeat at the same ground, but a stronger second half saw them turn their fortunes around for a much needed three points in the Barclays Women’s Super League.

As it happened

It was a slow start to proceedings as neither side looked switched on in the opening stages; sloppy passes and slow movement perhaps caused by the violent rainfall didn’t make for the most exciting first 45 minutes. The game’s first real chance came in the 19th minute when Arsenal caught West Ham off guard from a throw-in and Frida Maanum flicked the ball on quickly to Alessia Russo, but her shot flew across the face of goal, just missing the bottom corner. The home side then failed to clear their lines not long after, nearly allowing Emily Fox to grab her second goal of the week but Kinga Szemik dealt with it well.

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West Ham’s game plan was very obvious from the start as they looked to catch Arsenal in transition with balls over the top to the aerially efficient Viviane Asseyi, who kept the visitor’s backline on their toes with her runs in behind. These runs were mostly kept at bay apart from when she slipped her marker to get on the end of a lovely ball by Li Mengwen. However Steph Catley was there to clear the danger.

The first half never livened up, with the only shot on target coming in the 40th minute when Lia Wälti tried her luck from the edge of the box, but it was saved well low from Szemik. At the interval it seemed that a moment of magic, or an unfortunate mistake, would end up deciding the game.

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The beginning of the second half immediately saw an injection of energy. The Hammers had their best chance so far when Asseyi controlled a ball to the edge of the area perfectly to turn Catley, but she fluffed her effort and it bobbled wide. It was certainly a wake-up call after the break for Arsenal, who couldn’t afford another embarrassing result.

It was telling that on the hour mark Renée Slegers made a quadruple substitution to try to spark some life under her side after another tepid 15 minutes, and it was these changes that eventually won the game for her. Stina Blackstenius almost made an impact straight off the bench as a trademark run in behind followed by a drilled shot across goal forced a fingertip save from Szemik to put it behind.

However, it didn’t take long for Blackstenius’ runs to pay off as she made the most of West Ham’s higher press in the second half. Her movement got the better of Amber Tysiak, whose unnecessary dive brought the Swede down for a penalty. Mariona Caldentey slotted it into the bottom left corner with ease for her first WSL goal and the Gunners’ first of the game, giving them a slender lead with just under twenty minutes remaining.

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As the game went on nerves ramped up in the away end as Skinner’s side refused to go down without a fight, and it was another substitute who almost flipped the game on its head. There was a very late scare for Arsenal when Dagný Brynjarsdóttir rose above her defender from a deep free kick and got a header off from the back post, with Daphne van Domselaar reacting quickly to to push it behind.

However, after a tough week for Arsenal, another summer signing sealed the three points for Renée Slegers’ side in the 89th minute. Blackstenius, with a headstart on the defence, charged down the left hand side to slide the ball into the area. Rosa Kafaji met it at the penalty spot and put her shout out of reach of the impressive Szemik to calm any remaining nerves.

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Arsenal held on for a vital 2-0 away from home in a result they hope will kickstart their campaign, while West Ham, despite an impressive display, remain glued to the bottom of the WSL table.

The lineups

WHU: Szemik; Li, Cooke, Tysiak, Zadorsky, Denton; Piubel, Gorry, Siren; Ueki, Asseyi

ARS: Van Domselaar; McCabe, Catley, Codina, Fox; Wälti, Maanum, Little; Foord, Russo, Caldentey

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