West Ham’s Leila Wandeler pinpoints ‘obvious’ worrying trend after FA Cup exit
West Ham star Leila Wandeler has pinpointed an “obvious” flaw in her side after their FA Cup loss to Brighton.
West Ham Women came from two goals down to beat Brighton 3-2 in the Women’s Super League on 8 February but they couldn’t repeat those heroics on Sunday.
The Hammers fell 2-0 down inside the opening 20 minutes after goals from Fran Kirby and Kiko Seike at Chigwell Construction Stadium.
Rita Guarino‘s team threatened to repeat another comeback when substitute Wandeler fired the ball home 15 minutes from time.
But the East London outfit couldn’t break down Brighton’s strong defensive rearguard as they exited the FA Cup at the fifth-round stage.
Goalscorer Leila Wandeler wants stronger starts from West Ham
West Ham responded well in the second half against Brighton but the damage was done in the opening 45.
And Wandeler believes that West Ham cannot afford to start games so slowly, something that has happened twice against the Seagulls.
She told the club’s website: “It’s obvious we have to play from the beginning of the game. We can’t just wait until the end like the last game we played against us.
“It’s hard to come back all the time, and the energy that we brought at the end was very good. We have to be more consistent.
“I’m very happy to help the team like this, and [Brighton] were defending well. We’re [unlucky] today, but we showed we are capable, and now we have to do it from the beginning.”
West Ham ended up having 55 per cent possession, 10 shots to Brighton’s four, and Seagulls star Sophie Baggaley was the busier of the two goalkeepers.
But, for all of their pressure, they couldn’t find their way past Brighton this time.
What next for West Ham Women?
After missing out on a spot in the quarter-finals of the competition, West Ham and their WSL rivals will head off for a lengthy international break.
The Hammers, who sit 10th in the table, are not in WSL action until 18 March when they host second-placed Manchester United.
Then, they travel to Champions League holders Arsenal, who are fourth in the division, three days later before rounding off March at home to London City Lionesses.
- West Ham sit 10th in the WSL after 16 matches
- The Hammers have won two of their last five league games
- They are just one point ahead of Liverpool and two ahead of bottom-placed Leicester
West Ham are just two points above bottom of the table Leicester City, so they will be targeting a win away at 11th-placed Liverpool on 26 April.
If they want to stave off relegation to the English second-tier, they need to pick up wins and fast.
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