Report and reaction as Albion lose 3-1 to West Ham in WSL

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Nikita Parris scores her tenth of the season but Seagulls suffer 3-1 defeat.

Bruce Talbot

2025-02-16T16:45+00:00

Nikita Parris scored her tenth goal of the season but Albion went down to West Ham. 📷 Kyle Hemsley.

Nikita Parris’s tenth goal of the season wasn’t enough as Albion’s winless run in the WSL stretched to six games with a 3-1 defeat at West Ham.

Albion would have been in control had it not been for three fine first-half saves by Kinga Szemik after Parris had equalised Sherkiera Martinez’s early goal.

But West Ham scored twice in four minutes midway through the second period through Riko Ueki and a soft penalty converted by Viviane Asseyi.

Madison Haley was brilliantly denied by West Ham keeper Kinga Szemik early on. 📷 Kyle Hemsley

Szemik made the first of her top saves in the sixth minute to keep out Mady Haley’s close-range shot before the hosts went ahead in the 11th minute.

Melina Loeck had already denied Ueki when Caitlin Hayes tried to find her with a header back. The Albion keeper kept that out, but the loose ball was tapped in by Martinez.

It took Albion two minutes to draw level when Parris swept Rachel McLauchlan’s cross into the top corner – her 100th WSL goal involvement.

Nadine Noordam challenges Oona Siren. 📷 Kyle Hemsley

Szemik then took centre stage, saving Guro Bergsvand’s powerful shot with her legs before she tipped over Jelena Cancovic’s effort at the end of a flowing move.

West Ham missed an even better opportunity just before the break when Manuela Pavi’s shot hit the inside of the inside of the post. A let-off for the Seagulls.

Szemik blocked Kiko Seike’s volley early in the second half before West Ham started to dominate. They went ahead in the 64th minute when Ueki intercepted Bergsvand’s pass and found the bottom corner from close range.

Fran Kirby made her return in the second half. 📷 Kyle Hemsley

Four minutes later Viviane Asseyi fell under McLauchlan’s challenge and referee Pearson decided there was sufficient contact to award a penalty which Asseyi drilled into the bottom corner.

Dario Vidosic made a quadruple change which included the return of Fran Kirby but there was no way back for Albion.

The line-up

Loeck, McLauchlan, Bergsvand (Carabali 72), Hayes, Pattinson, Losada (Stefanovic 72), Cancovic (Kirby 72), Noordam, Haley (Rayner 84), Seike (Bremer 72), Parris.

Subs not used: Baggaley, Olislagers, Agyemang.

Referee: S. Pearson

Dario Vidosic's reaction

Dario Vidosic was disappointed with Albion's second-half performance. 📷 Kyle Hemsley

“It was a game of two halves. I thought we were quite good in the first half. We gave away a couple of chances, but we had opportunities of our own that we should have done better with. We had some excellent chances – we should have been winning at half-time and looked well in control

“But we just didn’t come out for the second half and when that happens you’ll get punished. We gave goals away and made life very difficult for ourselves.

“We started to lose structure, we seemed tentative and nervous on the ball. There was a dramatic drop-off in the second half and I’m not sure why that was but if you’re not near your best in this league you’re going to make it very tough for yourself and that’s what happened."