Women 2 – 0 West Ham United Women – Match Report

We persevered to find the breakthrough against a stubborn West Ham United defence, winning 2-0 in pre-season on Wednesday night courtesy of a Frida Maanum double.

Our second-half pressure paid off when Jenna Nighswonger crossed for Maanum to head home in front of a bouncing North Bank at Meadow Park, before Pelova found our Norwegian forward on the counter-attack to make it two.

FIRST HALF

Pelova had our first shot deflected behind for a corner after Chloe Kelly won the ball in the final third. The following set-piece came out to Kyra Cooney-Cross, whose delivery was flicked wide by the head of Alessia Russo.

At the other end, Viviane Asseyi’s ball into the box was dealt with by Katie McCabe to concede a West Ham corner, and that one was met at the back post by Shelina Zedorsky, Daphne van Domselaar on hand to stop her shot squeezing in.

Cooney-Cross sent a free-kick into the corridor of uncertainty, hitting Riko Ueki, but quick reflexes from Kinga Szemik to get down to her right and make the save denied us an opening goal.

Asseyi’s next corner was punched clear by Van Domselaar and our goalkeeper was on hand to catch the following cross as well.

Emily Fox read the play well to cut out a clearance from West Ham, and Kelly then teed up Pelova, who fired wide from distance.

With half-time approaching, Van Domselaar stuck out her right foot to clear the danger from a Katrina Gorry cross, and we went into the break goalless.

SECOND HALF

We made seven changes at half-time, with Russo, Kelly, Kim Little and Steph Catley making way for Maanum, Olivia Smith, Laia Codina and Katie Reid.

Nighswonger, Taylor Hinds, and Beth Mead also came on for Lotte Wubben-Moy, Fox, and Foord.

It was Codina who had our first chance of the second half, heading wide from a McCabe corner.

Smith tried her luck from distance but Oona Siren got a touch on the shot for an Arsenal corner. Unfortunately, Cooney-Cross’ delivery evaded everyone and sailed out for a goal-kick.

After Nighswonger’s cross was headed wide by Maanum, Sophie Harwood was next to come off the bench, replacing McCabe in the 65th minute.

We were very much in the ascendancy with around 20 minutes remaining, Mead’s corner coming out to Pelova, whose effort was deflected just wide for another corner.

Hinds put a cross in and Maanum headed over, before Pelova won us a free-kick on the edge of the area, but Mead curled it over the bar.

Eventually, that pressure paid off, when Nighswonger’s cross was headed into the bottom left corner by Maanum for 1-0.

With nine minutes to go, Pelova raced into West Ham’s half on the counter-attack before sending a perfect pass over the top of the defence for Maanum to run onto. The latter made no mistake, picking out the bottom left corner to double our lead.

Pelova then made way for Vivienne Lia following another impressive performance, and Hinds shot straight at Szemik as we continued our pursuit of even more goals. In the end, the 2-0 lead was more than enough.

WHAT’S NEXT

We’ve got the beginning of the 2025/26 Barclays Women’s Super League season to look forward to. Make sure you join us at Emirates Stadium for what promises to be another huge occasion in N5 when we take on London City Lionesses at 1.30pm on Saturday, September 6.