West Ham Women returned to WSL action at the weekend. Their first match of 2025 ended in a disappointing 5-0 defeat against league leaders Chelsea.
Chelsea went into Sunday’s meeting at the Chigwell Construction Stadium with some impressive statistics to back up their excellent season so far. Prior to facing the Hammers, having scored 31 goals and only conceded six in their ten WSL matches. It was always going to be a real challenge for Rehanne Skinner’s side to pick up a positive result against the Blues.
Despite West Ham being well aware of the scale of the task at hand, before the league’s winter break they had been in good form at home having won their last three home games. Ultimately though, the Hammers came up short and were unable to continue this form against the league leaders Chelsea.
Goals from Catarina Macario, Erin Cuthbert and Aggie Beever-Jones saw Chelsea go into the half time break with a comfortable 3-0 lead. In the second half, a goal from Sandy Baltimore in the 52nd minute and a late own goal from Hammers centre back Amber Tysiak secured the three points for Sonia Bompastor’s side and condemned West Ham to a heavy 5-0 defeat.
Whilst defeats of such a significant scoreline can damage a team’s confidence and morale, it is important that the Hammers look to put Sunday’s result in the rear view mirror as quickly as possible.
This is because they face London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the quarter final of the Women’s League Cup. If Rehanne Skinner’s side are victorious against Spurs, continue their Cup run and reach the competitions semi finals, Sunday’s defeat will quickly fade from the minds of players and supporters alike.
Reaching a semi final would be an excellent achievement for West Ham, should they pick up a win on Wednesday, this will give the Hammers plenty of confidence that they can have a positive second half of the season and end the campaign in a stronger position.