**West Ham United women’s team** came from two goals down to beat Crystal Palace 5-2 in the Barclays Women’s Super League, with five of the goals coming in an enthralling first half at Chigwell Construction Stadium.
In a game that matched the pulsating conditions in east London, the visitors stormed to an early two-goal lead through strikes from Millie Gejl and Indiah-Paige Riley. But Rehanne Skinner’s side showed no signs of rolling over and immediately paved a way back into the derby when Asseyi netted her third goal in two matches.
The momentum was with the Hammers and with their tails up, they forced an equaliser as Seraina Piubel, who had laid the ball on a plate for Asseyi moments earlier, bagged her first goal in England’s top flight.
The turnaround was then complete with just two minutes of the first half remaining when Asseyi rounded the goalkeeper to tee up Manuela Paví for the simplest finish of her career, sending the Claret and Blue faithful into raptures.
After a number of chances went begging in the second half, Anouk Denton added number four with a stunning strike from the edge of the box. And Katrina Gorry’s powerful finish from close range sealed the three points and the bragging rights for the Irons, lifting them up to eighth in the WSL standings.
With both sides level on points and occupying the bottom two spots in the table before kick-off, the London derby was always going to be an entertaining clash, but a fierce atmosphere in Dagenham was silenced with just five minutes on the clock as the visitors took an early advantage. After pouncing on a Hammers mistake in midfield, Annabel Blanchard slipped Gejl through on goal, who made no mistake with her left-footed finish beyond Kinga Szemik.
In a flash, things went from bad to worse for West Ham as Riley’s curling effort snuck into the bottom-left corner.
The Hammers had shown promise before falling behind - when Piubel’s close-range strike was blocked before Asseyi fired a shot at Shae Yáñez - and found a route back into the contest with 17 minutes on the clock. An intelligent first-time pass from Riko Ueki sent Piubel darting into the box and she clipped the ball to the back post where Asseyi was on hand to slide the ball home.
This was only the start of a dramatic first half as after Palace wasted a chance to restore their two-goal lead, when Blanchard spurned a chance from just yards out, the Irons drew level. Piubel, who turned provider for Asseyi’s goal, drove into the penalty area and caught Yáñez out at the near post to claim her first WSL goal.
And just before the fourth official went to signal two minutes of additional time at the end of a turbulent first half, Skinner’s side turned the clash completely on its head to take the lead heading into the interval. Asseyi latched onto Ueki’s throughball and rounded Yáñez before Paví picked up the pieces to tap the ball into the empty net.
The roof came off Chigwell Construction Stadium after the Columbia international’s first league goal and she was serenaded by chants of ‘Paví! Paví! Paví!’ by the Claret and Blue supporters.
Not resting on their laurels, Skinner’s side pushed for a fourth in the second half. Oona Siren had a number of sights at goal, including one that was struck straight at Yáñez and Ueki saw a header somehow blocked on the line.
But the Hammers’ second WSL victory of the campaign was wrapped up with a pair of goals in the final 10 minutes of the game. First, Denton went on a marauding run before curling home a superb left-footed strike from outside of the box before skipper Gorry lashed the ball home from close range.
Skinner fist pumped the air at the sound of the referee’s whistle following a scintillating display in Dagenham. Her side recorded West Ham’s biggest win in the WSL since September 2021 - the perfect way to cap off the Hammers’ final home WSL match of 2024.
**West Ham United:** Szemik, Denton, Tysiak, Zadorsky, Smith, Siren, Gorry ©, Piubel, Paví (Harries 69), Asseyi, Ueki
Unused Subs: M. Walsh (GK), Mengwen, Sáez, Cooke, Bergman Lundin, Brynjarsdóttir, Houssein, S. Walsh
**Crystal Palace:** Yáñez, Veje, Cato, Everett ©, Blanchard, Nolan (Sharpe 76), Potter, Riley (Weerden 62), Gejl, Woodham, Stengel
Unused Subs: Majasaarl, Gibbons, Arthur, Pritchard, Larkin, Atkinson
Booked: Riley
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