West Ham United beat London rivals Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the Women's Super League (WSL) to move up to eighth in the table.
A first-half own-goal from Spurs centre-back Josefine Rybrink and a late free-kick from Viviane Asseyi sealed victory for the hosts.
Victory means Rehanne Skinner's side move ahead of Spurs, who drop to ninth, and have now lost their past six matches in all competitions. Robert Vilahamn's side have scored just one goal during that period.
Spurs dominated the opening stages — and West Ham's goal came against the run of play — but they lacked confidence in the final third. Captain and main striker Bethany England was unavailable through injury, and Martha Thomas, who has not scored in the WSL since December 2023, couldn't fill her void. The closest she came was with an effort off the post midway through the second period.
West Ham have been resurgent in recent months under Skinner, and they could have easily scored more against their rivals. Shekiera Martinez, Katrina Gorry and Oona Siren all forced Spurs goalkeeper Lize Kop into firm saves when the score was 1-0.
However eventually, they did increase their lead in the 90th minute via an in-swinging free-kick from Asseyi which evaded everyone.
Story of the Match
West Ham made two changes from their 1-1 draw with Manchester City last time out; Manuela Pavi and Asseyi replaced Seraina Piubel and Eva Nystrom.
Spurs made three changes from their 1-0 defeat to Brighton, with Charli Grant, Maite Oroz and Rybrink replacing Ashleigh Neville, Matilda Vinberg and Luana Buhler.
Looking to pick up their first win since January 26th, the visitors started as the more threatening side. Molly Bartrip said during the week they need to "fight" against The Hammers, and early indications suggested they listened to her call.
They were first to every ball and looked aggressive out of possession. Full-back Ella Morris came close to opening the score 12 minutes in, firing a powerful effort straight at Kinga Szemik.
However, they were soon punished for not taking the lead when on top. Against the run of play, West Ham struck first via an own goal from Rybrink.
Breaking down the left flank, Asseyi laid it off to Hanshaw, and her shot, which was on course to fly wide, was sent into the back of the net by the centre-back making just her second WSL start.
West Ham are in the lead thanks to Hanshaw's deflected strike ⚒️ pic.twitter.com/zsRY22tizq
— Sky Sports WSL (@SkySportsWSL) March 23, 2025
Spurs continued to dominate proceedings after going 1-0 down, but there was a noticeable England-shaped hole. The club captain, and only Spurs player with more than two WSL goals this campaign, is currently unavailable due to a quad issue.
While the visitors transitioned the ball from defence to attack well in the first half, they often lacked belief they would convert it into a goal. The only one who seriously concerned the hosts was Eveliina Summanen, who rattled a free-kick off the bar in first half stoppage-time.
However, at the other end of the pitch, they also looked defensively vulnerable. West Ham had just 34% possession in the first half, yet they had further chances; Siren nearly extended their lead with a close-ranged bullet header directly at Kop.
After the break, West Ham frustrated Spurs, not only by defending resolutely — substitute Anna Csiki's blocked shot was the only thing to come close for Spurs before the 60th minute — but also by having more possession.
Hammers striker Martinez forced Kop into a smart save at her near post following a prolonged spell on the ball, whilst the Dutch international produced an impressive reaction save to deny Gorry's deflected effort.
Spurs briefly looked like mounting a comeback when Thomas hit the post from inside the box following a quick counter-attack, but they couldn't sustain consistent pressure.
Their afternoon went from bad to worse in the 90th minute when West Ham extended their lead. 31-year-old left-midfielder Asseyi's in-swinging free-kick evaded everyone, including Kop, to creep into the bottom right corner.
Gorry and Siren's partnership in the middle of the park has been the catalyst for West Ham's revival in the second half of this season.
That was on show again today, with both excelling against Spurs with their tempo, work-rate and overall passing range. Gorry could have even scored in the second half, but the 32-year-old was denied by an impressive save from Kop to her right.