Leicester City 1-2 West Ham United Women
Barclays Women’s Super League, King Power Stadium, Sunday 21 May 2023
West Ham United Women beat Leicester City 2-1 at King Power Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
After a swashbuckling run down the left, Anouk Denton saw her perseverance pay off as her cross deflected off Foxes’ defender Sophie Howard to loop past goalkeeper Janina Leitzig and open the scoring in the Hammers' favour.
In the second half, Leicester continued to knock on the door, but saw the Hammers net a second on the hour mark when Dagný Brynjarsdóttir converted a penalty to see her side secure a well-deserved three points, with the visitors reduced to ten late on when Ruby Mace was given a second yellow card in stoppage time.
Despite a late spot kick from Hannah Cain in the final minutes of action, an important win at King Power Stadium sees the Hammers remain in eighth place in the Barclays Women’s Super League, with a season finale against Tottenham Hotspur to follow in east London next weekend.
The first half saw both sides battle, although it was West Ham who edged the fixture by the break as Denton’s cross found its way into the top corner through a deflection within 20 minutes.
The Hammers were then indebted to a sequence of stunning saves from stopper Mackenzie Arnold, who somehow pushed Cain’s header away from goal with a superb reaction stop before the break, and also made a neat stop with her right foot.
Amalie Thestrup was key though as West Ham pushed for a second. She drove a powerful effort over the bar shortly before half-time, while Ashleigh Plumptre headed a corner over the bar from close range as Leicester almost found an equaliser by half-time.
West Ham’s resolve was again tested after the break, although Vivianne Asseyi pushed to double the lead but saw her effort crowded out by those in Blue.
Riza Shimizu was next to lead the charge in the Midlands, winning a spot-kick after a great run down the run. The skipper then stepped up to cooly double her side’s lead as she found the bottom corner with ease from 12 yards.
Led by a stubborn back-three, the Hammers dug deep to secure a welcome win in the Midlands, despite the hosts halving the deficit through Cain from the spot late on.
Leicester City: Leitzig, Nevin, Tierney, Bott (Goodwin 74), Whelan ©, Howard, Jones, Siemsen (O’Brien 60), Cain, Plumptre, Mace
Subs not used: Lambourne (GK), Pike, Purfield, Levell, Smith, Robinson, Reavill
Goal: Cain pen 90+8
Sent-off: Mace
West Ham United: Arnold, Shimizu, Fisk, Parker, Tysiak (Cissoko 73), Denton (Smith 84), Hayashi, Brynjarsdottir ©, Snerle (Longhurst 74), Thestrup (Evans 73), Asseyi (Ademiluyi 90+5)
Subs not used: Hillyerd (GK), Filis, Atkinson, Cooke
Goals: Howard og 18, Brynjarsdóttir pen 60
Booked: Parker Fisk
Referee: Lisa Benn
