The Hammers spoil the party
London City Lionesses arrived in east London believing the hard part was behind them. They had beaten Manchester United on the opening weekend. Their recruitment had been the story of the summer. Matchday 2 was supposed to be a formality.
West Ham had other ideas. Kelly Gago, signed from Everton over the summer, opened the scoring with her first WSL goal for the club, bullying her way through with a mix of strength and pace that Eder Maestre’s defenders never solved. London City did not recover their shape after that.
Viviane Asseyi finished the job. Her goal settled the match, and it carried a number worth pausing on.
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Twenty-five goals outside the big four
Asseyi has now scored 25 WSL goals for a club outside the traditional top four. Only five players have ever reached that mark: Rachel Daly with 41 at Aston Villa, Bethany England with 32 at Tottenham, Fara Williams with 26 at Reading, Rachel Williams with 26 at Birmingham City and Jess Clarke with 25 at Notts County. Scoring in volume away from the biggest budgets has always been the hardest thing to do in this league. Asseyi keeps doing it.
The win extended a run that says plenty about where West Ham are heading. They have scored in each of their last six WSL matches, equalling their longest scoring streak in the competition, previously set between September and November 2022.
London City ran out of answers
The visitors were not short of intent. Daniëlle van de Donk attempted five shots, more than any London City player has managed in either of their first two games this season. The chances arrived. The finishing did not.
That gap between threat and result is what Maestre has to chew on. A squad assembled at considerable expense holds one win and one defeat from two, and the defeat came against a side that has been building quietly for a while.
The wider point is about the league itself. Another summer of heavy investment was meant to stretch the distance between the ambitious and the established. Two matchdays in, the opposite is happening.
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