by Staff Writer
Saturday, 13th September 2025
West Ham United Women suffered a heavy defeat at the Chigwell Construction Stadium on Friday night, falling 5-1 to Arsenal in the Barclays Women’s Super League.
The Hammers made a dream start in front of their home crowd when an early mix-up saw Arsenal goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar turn the ball into her own net inside five minutes. That gave West Ham an unexpected lead, but the visitors soon levelled when Frida Maanum struck midway through the first half.
At the break it was 1-1, with West Ham still very much in the contest. The second half, however, told a very different story.
Arsenal’s quality began to show as substitute Stina Blackstenius made an instant impact by scoring within minutes of coming on. Caitlin Foord then added another to stretch the visitors advantage, before Alessia Russo put the game to bed with two late goals, one long-range effort in the 90th minute, followed by a penalty from Katrina Gerry’s foul in stoppage time.
West Ham failed to register a single shot on target during the match and had just nine touches inside Arsenal’s penalty area, compared to Arsenal’s 39 inside the Hammers box.
Possession was largely dominated by the Gunners, who drew West Ham back for much of the second half and created chance after chance. Despite their early work rate, the Hammers were eventually undone by Arsenal’s relentless attacking pressure.
Defensively, the team struggled to cope with Arsenal’s pace and movement in the second half, leaving manager Rehanne Skinner with plenty to reflect on as her side looks to bounce back in the coming fixtures.
“I think for 65 minutes, we were in the game," she said during her post-match interview. "We played really well and made life really difficult for them to break us down.
"I thought the pressing intensity was excellent in the first half and the team made life really tough [for Arsenal]. Overall the players were really, really brave, really positive. So I'm pleased with the way that they've tried to go about the game.”
Skipper Katrina Gorry maintained that West Ham will use Friday night’s loss to Arsenal as an opportunity to grow and improve. “Towards the end of the game, we kind of threw whatever we had at it," she added. "Unfortunately, you get done in transition in those moments and Arsenal are always clinical in the attack.
"When you play a team like Arsenal, you know they get one sniff and they're really clinical. It's about us making sure we keep that intensity for the 90-100 minutes, however long we have to play. [It’s about making sure] when we get the chances in the attacking third, we put them in the back of the net so we don't put our back line under pressure all the time.
"It's something we've got to keep constantly working on.”
West Ham Utd: Walsh, Denton, Zadorsky, Nystrom (Pavi 75), Tysiak, Hanshaw (Belloumou 65), Gorry (c), Siren (Wandeler 86), Asseyi, Martinez (Piubel 65), Ueki
Subs not used: O’Hanlon, Endo, Csiki, Brasero, Morgan
Goals: Van Domselaar (og 5)
Booked: Gorry
Arsenal: Van Domselaar, Fox, Catley (Wubben-Moy 89), Caldentey (Pelova 79), Mead (Smith 63), Little (c), McCabe (Hinds 79), Maanum (Blackstenius 46), Foord, Russo, Reid
Subs not used: Zinsberger, Borbe, Codina, Cooney-Cross
Goals: Maanum (21), Blackstenius (52), Foord (62), Russo (90, 90+3)
Player Ratings
Megan Walsh (5) Made some decent saves, battled under pressure, but exposed at times by Arsenal’s movement.
Eva Nystrom (5) Solid effort defensively but had difficulty dealing with the pace from Arsenal’s wingers.
Shelina Zadorsky (5) Experience showed in some moments, but second-half lapses let Arsenal in too often.
Amber Tysiak (5) Tried to provide support from full back however, Arsenal’s overlaps caused issues.
Verena Hanshaw (5) Got forward when possible, but not enough service to test their backline and defensively often stretched.
Anouk Denton (5) Worked hard in midfield, tried to break press and link up play, but largely kept under pressure.
Katrina Gorry (6) One of the more consistent performers; leadership showed. Booked for a foul tried to drive the team forward, but was often isolated.
Oona Siren (5) Held shape in midfield at times, but Arsenal’s control meant she had limited touches and influence.
Shekiera Martinez (5) Involved in the early play, including the cross that led to the own goal; after that was quieter as Arsenal pressed.
Riko Ueki (5) Tried to stretch the defence and make runs; service was scarce and she was often crowded out.
Viviane Asseyi (5) Showed some threat, but Arsenal’s defensive discipline limited opportunities.
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