West Ham women picked up a historic three points at the weekend, recording their first ever WSL win over Arsenal after holding on to beat the Gunners 2-1.

Arsenal were dominant in the opening 45 minutes, with Viviane Miedema having two opportunities to put the Gunners in front. They took the lead with two minutes to go in the first half, after an unmarked Alessia Russo headed home to give Arsenal the lead going into halftime.

West Ham were awarded a penalty five minutes into the second half. French forward Viviane Asseyi dispatched the spot kick from 12 yards, sending Arsenal goalkeeper Manu Zinsberger the wrong way. Just eight minutes later the Hammers took a shock lead. Arsenal goalkeeper Zinsberger could not punch West Ham’s free kick away to safety, and the ball fell at the feet of centre back Hawa Cissoko who caressed it into the empty net from the edge of the 18 yard box.

Rehanne Skinner’s side remained resolute, holding on to their 2-1 lead to pick up all three points and record their first win against the Gunners in the WSL era. After back to back victories, West Ham women are now 9th in the table and five points clear of bottom placed Bristol City.

Match winner Cissoko was delighted with the result and the teams performance, speaking to West Ham TV after the match she said: “I have a lot of cramp everywhere and am in a lot of pain but I’m just so happy and proud of the girls.”

Cissoko went on to add: “The resilience is just proof of the way that we work together, and that we’re moving in the right direction.” The Hammers centre back emphasised the importance of staying consistent in the coming matches following the side picking up two wins on the bounce: “Before the game nobody was stressing and everyone was ready. Players were confident and that allowed us to play. We have to keep doing this as we keep moving through the rest of the season.”

West Ham women are back in league action next Sunday as they take on Everton. Both sides are level on points, with West Ham a place higher in the table due to their goal difference.

Written by Finlay Jackson