West Ham United 0-7 Chelsea,
Continental Tyres League Cup semi-final, Chigwell Construction Stadium, Thursday 9 February 2023, 7:15pm (GMT)
West Ham United Women were well beaten by Chelsea in the semi-finals of the Continental Tyres League Cup on Thursday evening in Dagenham.
Four goals from Sam Kerr, plus strikes from Fran Kirby, Lauren James and Guro Reiten saw the Blues progress into the final of the competition.
Paul Konchesky decided to name an unchanged side from the 0-0 draw against Arsenal in the Barclays Women's Super League only four days previous – with the only change coming on the bench, where Halle Houssein replaced Keira Flannery.
Things didn’t get off to a good start for the Hammers, with Kerr getting on the end of an in swinging free-kick inside four minutes to give the away side the lead.
It went from bad to worse for the Irons, when good forward play between Kerr and James allowed Kirby to be set free in behind – she beat Hawa Cissoko to the ball and cooly slotted the ball beyond Arnold and into the back of the net.
And Kerr had her second of the game on 22 minutes – after a mistake at the back allowed the Australian international to rifle one into the top corner her compatriot, Mackenzie Arnold’s goal.
The Hammers were unable to offer much in the first half, and their misery was compounded just before half-time, as Kerr slotted home her third of the game.
At the break, the boss made four changes, with Shannon Cooke coming on for her Claret & Blue debut, whilst Amalie Thestrup, Kate Longhurst and Lucy Parker entered the fray alongside her as their side tried to salvage something from the game.
The Irons did come out looking livelier in the second half, with Viviane Asseyi forcing a solid save out of Ann-Katrin Berger after a Longhurst had cushioned a ball into the box.
But the flurry of confidence from the Hammers would be short-lived, as James smashed in a fifth goal, which seem to take a deflection off of Cooke on it’s way through.
It would be six three minutes later, as yet again, Kerr was afforded time to get a shot away which she dispatched beyond Arnold for her fourth of the evening.
And on 66 minutes, Guro Reiten joined in on the act, adding a seventh for Chelsea on a very difficult night for the Hammers.
West Ham United: Arnold, Shimizu, Fisk, Cissoko (Parker 46, Denton 56)), Smith, Stringer (Longhurst 46), Hayashi (Cooke 46), Brynjarsdottir, Snerle, Filis (Thestrup 46), Asseyi.
Subs not used: Hillyerd, Evans, Atkinson, Denton, Houssein.
Chelsea: Berger, Bright, Ingle (Leupolz 66), James (Kaneryd (61), Reiten (Abdullina 66), Kirby (Cankovic 44), Perisset (Mjelde 61), Eriksson, Kerr, Charles, Cuthbert.
Subs not used: Musovic, Carter, Flemming, Buchanan.
Goals: Kerr 4,22,45+1, 59 Kirby 11, James 55, Reiten 66.
Booking: Eriksson 53
Attendance: 1,092
Referee: Louise Sanders
