Brighton made it two wins on the bounce thanks to Aileen Whelan’s first-half strike
Aileen Whelan’s first-half strike proved the difference as Brighton & Hove Albion made it back-to-back Barclays FA Women’s Super League wins with a 1-0 triumph over West Ham.
Hope Powell’s side stunned Chelsea at the weekend and it was not long before they piled the pressure on the Hammers, with Inessa Kaagman going close from 10 yards.
KEY MOMENTS
Brighton almost took the lead again on 15 minutes when Lee Geum-Min flicked on a long throw to Nora Heroum, who snatched at the shot from six yards out.
West Ham had their first chance on 26 minutes as Emily van Egmond met a corner at the near post that was heading in but a host of Brighton players bundled the ball off the line to keep the scores level.
Brighton immediately went on the attack and Lee hooked an effort towards the top corner but Mackenzie Arnold produced a fingertip save to deny the striker.
The hosts continued to push forward and scored on 31 minutes when Whelan lashed in an unstoppable effort through a crowd of players into the bottom corner from Megan Connolly’s corner.
Laura Vetterlein almost levelled the scores ten minutes before half time, whipping in a dangerous free kick from 25-yards that beat Megan Walsh and rattled the crossbar.
Maz Pacheco almost equalised in the opening minutes of the second half, getting a touch round Walsh from a long ball into the box but the Brighton defence got back to clear before the West Ham midfielder could finish.
Ellie Brazil almost doubled Brighton’s lead with 10 minutes to go, beating the offside trap and setting herself to shoot from 10 yards out but Vetterlein recovered and produced a last-ditch tackle to deny Brazil.
With minutes left, West Ham threw most of their players forward for a free-kick but Brighton cleared and released Lee on the counter attack.
The forward raced towards goal but Katie Longhurst got back to make a well-timed tackle.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH
Aileen Whelan was on target once again as she helped Brighton to another important three points.
Megan Connolly’s corner caused all sorts of problems in the West Ham box and Whelan reacted quickest to fire the ball home.
WHAT THEY SAID
Brighton manager Hope Powell: “Credit to them, they really went for it until the end and made it quite difficult for us but again we defended well, solid as a back unit.
“Everyone did their jobs, which meant they didn’t score and we held out for all three points. We’ve done a lot of work on being hard to beat and it gives the best chance of winning if we and stop conceding goals then we’re in it.
“We did that very well tonight, managed the game well and made it difficult for them. The players looked a bit tired towards the end of the match after Sunday’s game but the players have really responded well, which takes off some of the pressure in that bottom half of the table.
“She (Aileen Whelan) did well in the first season of the WSL, her running is incredible, the ground she covers, the work rate and she can pop up and score goals and it all really pleases me.”
West Ham manager Olli Harder: “Our performance was characterised by individuals’ inability to positively contribute in key moments offensively and defensively.
“The application and effort was there again so it’s difficult to criticise the effort but it’s quality in key moments that determine games and again we had the opportunity to show that quality but we didn’t do that.
“I think it would be important for her (Adriana Leon) and Martha Thomas to score. They’re both on a real dry spell and it’s important for them to get a sight on goal and to pull the trigger when they get a chance and we had those opportunities again tonight.
“Both of them had opportunities to be slightly more positive in terms of their contribution. Hopefully that will come soon because it’s important that they are confident, happy and scoring goals.
“The missed chances and opportunities each game are fine margins and details. We’re still in this position and we’ve got 10 games to put ourselves in a better position than we’re in at the moment.”
Brighton (4-2-3-1): Megan Walsh, Danique Kerkdijk, Maya Le Tissier, Aileen Whelan, Megan Connolly, Lee Geum-Min, Inessa Kaagman, Nora Heroum, Emma Koivisto, Ellie Brazil, Victoria Williams
Substitutes: Libby Bance for Heroum 74’, Rianna Jarrett for Lee 90’
Substitutes not used: Cecilie Fiskerstrand, Bethan Roe, Fliss Gibbons, Danielle Bowman, Emily Simpkins, Maisie Symonds
Goals: Whelan 31’
Bookings: Kovivisto 33’, Heroum 62’
West Ham (4-2-3-1): Mackenzie Arnold, Cecilie Redisch, Maz Pacheco, Gilly Flaherty, Katerina Svitkova, Kate Longhurst, Lois Joel, Martha Thomas, Grace Fisk, Emily van Egmond, Laura Vetterlein
Substitutes: Adriana Leon for Redisch 38’, Nor Mustafa for Katerina Svitkova 90’
Substitutes not used: Courtney Brosnan, Kenza Dali, Hawa Cissoko, Maisy Barker
Bookings: Svitkova 45′