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West Ham United Women fell to a narrow 1–0 defeat away to London City Lionesses on Sunday afternoon in the Barclays Women’s Super League.

Played at the CopperJax Community Stadium in Bromley, it was a tight contest decided by a single second-half goal from London City forward Kosovare Asllani, who capitalised on a rare defensive lapse.




The Hammers started brightly and were unlucky not to take the lead in the first half. Viviane Asseyi went closest early on, striking the post from distance after neat link-up play with Shekiera Martinez.

Shelina Zadorsky also saw her header cleared off the line following a well-delivered corner from Seraina Piubel, as West Ham piled on the pressure before the interval.

After the restart, London City grew into the game and began to press higher. The decisive moment arrived in the 68th minute, when a moment of hesitation from goalkeeper Kinga Szemik allowed Asllani to steal possession and tap the ball into an empty net.

Despite late efforts from Riko Ueki and Katrina Gorry, West Ham couldn’t find a way past a resilient City defence led by Alanna Kennedy and Elena Linari.

Manager Rehanne Skinner was disappointed not to see her side take something from the game, telling club media: “It’s a tough one to take because I think we did enough to deserve a point.




"We created good chances but didn’t take them, and at this level, small mistakes get punished. The effort and commitment were there, and we’ll take the positives into our next game.”

Amber Tysiak echoed her manager’s thoughts. “It’s frustrating because we played well for long periods and controlled the game," she said. "We just need to be more ruthless in both boxes. We’ll learn from it and come back stronger next week.”

The defeat to London City Lionesses marked West Ham United Women’s sixth consecutive WSL loss, deepening the pressure on Rehanne Skinner’s side. Despite moments of promise, the lack of cutting edge in front of goal and lapses in concentration continue to cost the Hammers dearly.

Confidence appears to be slipping, and with the fixtures coming thick and fast, something needs to change, and fast, if West Ham are to turn their season around and avoid slipping further into a difficult campaign.




West Ham Utd: Szemik, Endo, Tysiak, Zadorsky, Endo, Siren, Gorry (c), Morgan (Piubel 53), Asseyi (Paví 73), Ueki, Martinez (Wandeler 73)

Subs not used: Walsh, Nyström, Csiki, Brasero, Hanshaw, HousseinBooked: Gorry

London City Lionesses: Lete, Velasco, Kumagai (Kennedy 66), Asllani © (Roddar 80), Linari (Franssi 66), Godfrey (Corrales 56), Parris, Goodwin, Rofiat, Sangaré, Geyoro (Zelem 80)

Subs not used: Poor, Maria, Lindström, Brown

Goals: Asllani (68)


Player Ratings

Kinga Szemik (6) Made a couple of decent saves and commanded her box well, but could do little to prevent the winning goal.

Yu Endo (5) Struggled to contain London City’s wide play at times and didn’t get forward as much as usual.

Amber Tysiak (6) Solid defensively and strong in the air, though a few nervy clearances late on.

Shelina Zadorsky (6) Used her experience to marshal the backline but lacked composure in the final stages.

Oona Siren (5) Found it tough to cope with London City’s pace on the counter and wasn’t as sharp in possession.

Katrina Gorry (C) (6) Worked tirelessly in midfield, breaking up play and trying to drive the team forward, but lacked support around her.

Ffion Morgan (5) Struggled to influence the game creatively before being replaced in the second half.

Viviane Asseyi (6) Looked the most likely to make something happen, with some clever touches and movement, but couldn’t find the final ball.

Riko Ueki (5) Battled hard up front but was isolated for long spells and had few clear chances.

Shekiera Martinez (6) Lively early on and looked a threat on the break, though her end product let her down.

Substitutes

Seraina Piubel (Morgan 53) (6) Brought some energy and drive into midfield but couldn’t turn the tide in West Ham’s favour.

Maneula Paví (Asseyi 73) (5) Worked hard on the flank but had limited impact after coming on.

Leila Wandeler (Martinez 73) (5) Struggled to get involved as West Ham pushed for an equaliser late on.

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