It was a disappointing afternoon for West Ham United Women on Sunday as they succumbed to a 3-1 defeat against Chelsea.
Matt Beard’s side took the lead after 60 minutes but were unable to hold on at the Rush Green Stadium, three late Chelsea goals saw the Blues snatch victory.
On the scoresheet for West Ham was striker Adriana Leon, the 27-year-old scored with her first touch, after replacing the injured Jacynta Galabadaraachchi.
The Canadian International reacted quickest to a parried shot Martha Thomas, to score her second goal of the season.
We had some good spells in play, and we have lots to build on from that.
Adriana Leon
Leon’s impact from the bench was praised by manager Matt Beard, the forward was focused on making an impact after her introduction.
“It’s just about making an impact when you get on the field and doing your best. That’s what I did, I did my best.
“Going 1-0 up was really great for us, unfortunately we weren’t able to keep the result. We had some good spells in play, and we have lots to build on from that.” said Leon.
West Ham managed to frustrate Chelsea for large parts of the game but were undone in the last 20 minutes as they began to tire.
“We knew that they were a good possession team,” continued Leon. “If we gave them too much space then they are going to hurt us. I think we got quite sloppy at the end and gave them too much space and that’s when they countered and were able to score their goals. I think that’s something that we have to be aware of next time.
The Hammers were cheered on by 2122 fans at the Rush Green Stadium on Sunday and Leon has been impressed by the ever-growing fan base.
“It’s really nice, we always get to hear the fans there always screaming until the 90th minute. It’s great to have their support.”
Next up for the Irons is a trip to Reading in the Women’s Continental League Cup. Leon is hoping that the whole squad are able to learn some valuable lessons from Sunday’s defeat.
“We have to learn how to keep a lead, that’s the biggest lesson, but like you say, we’ll learn from it and get better for the next one.”