WSL: Lauren Hemp on song as Man City take three points from West Ham | OneFootball

A tough afternoon saw Manchester City take all three points from their latest Women’s Super League meeting with West Ham. Goals from Lauren Hemp and Mary Fowler preserved the Sky Blues’ unbeaten start to the season.

A disciplined West Ham performance left the hosts frustrated for much of the game, with Vivianne Asseyi providing several good chances for the Hammers.

Starting XIs

Manchester City

Yamashita; Aleixandri, Greenwood, Fowler, Kelly, Roord, Hemp, Ouahabi, Casparij, Blindkilde-Brown, Hasegawa

West Ham

Szemik; Tysiak, Ueki, Brynjarsdottir, Harries, Zadorsky, Sáez, Denton, Asseyi, Gorry, Mengwen

How it went

Beginning the game without a recognised striker, Manchester City initially struggled to find their rhythm in the clash. After an unconvincing opening ten minutes, the hosts broke the deadlock through England star Hemp. The No.11 buried the ball beyond Kinga Szemik, following a well-worked cross from Mary Fowler.

Despite City dominating the possession, Gareth Taylor’s side were far from their best throughout the opening half. Sloppy passing combined with a lack of a recognised striker allowed West Ham several good chances across the 45 minutes.

Embed from Getty Images

The second half started in much of the same fashion. While City dominated the play, the West Ham defence frustrated their opponents, forcing them into shots from distance.

Just as it seemed that the game was slipping away from Taylor’s side, substitute Bunny Shaw made an instant impact just moments after coming onto the pitch. A perfectly weighted cross set Fowler up for a pinpoint header with the Matildas star making no mistake nodding the ball beyond Szemik.

While the game was far from a classic, the two-goal victory sees Man City continue their unbeaten start to the season. For West Ham, the defeat marks a significant improvement from the same fixture last season, conceding five on their previous visit to the Joie Stadium.

Up next

Manchester City will host Barcelona in their first Champions League group stage game on Wednesday night. With tickets for the tie already sold out, Taylor’s side will hope to put in a good account of themselves against the current Champions League holders.

West Ham will face Everton away in the league on Sunday 13th September. The two sides last met back in February, with Everton taking all three points from a 2-0 victory.

Related articles from Her Football Hub: