Chelsea 3–1 West Ham United (AET) Adobe Women’s FA Cup fourth round, Kingsmeadow, Sunday 14 January 2024, 1pm.
The women’s squad from West Ham United pushed Chelsea into extra time during their fourth-round Adobe Women’s FA Cup match, but after a valiant effort, they ultimately lost.
In the winter sunshine at Kingsmeadow, Viviane Asseyi gave the away team a great start by seizing a long ball from Mackenzie Arnold and shooting past Zecira Musovic.
For the first 70 minutes of the match, Rehanne Skinner’s squad played a strong defence. Mia Fishel, a replacement, needed a brilliant play to find the equaliser as she swung around and fired into the net.
In extra time, the Barclays Women’s Super League and FA Cup champions showed their class, finding goals through Erin Cuthbert and Aggie Beever-Jones as they booked their place in the fifth round of the competition.
Skinner handed debuts to both Shelina Zedorsky and Katrina Gorry for the clash in west London. Arnold also made her first appearance since mid-November after overcoming a tricep issue.
In the opening five minutes, Riko Ueki caused the Chelsea backline an issue with her link up play, which led to her being able to get in behind and pull a ball back that almost found runners in Claret & Blue.
Lauren James then looked to catch Arnold out with a cheeky chip from distance, but she couldn’t get the trajectory right and it sailed over the bar.
The away team would strike first after a stretch of Chelsea trying to find a way behind the West Ham defence. On minute eighteen, Arnold lobbed a long ball that put Asseyi in front of Blues defender Kadeisha Buchanan. The France international finished brilliantly, finding the bottom corner.
Five minutes later, Amber Tysiak made a goal-saving challenge to stop Lauren James from close range as Claret & Blue attempted to keep Chelsea to half-chances.
Guro Reiten came the closest for the home team on minute 38, but her attempt fizzed over the crossbar and behind as they continued to try to get back into the game.
Just before the break, Arnold kept her side ahead as she dived down to her left to keep out a wickedly taken free-kick from Eve Perisset.
In the second half, Ueki managed to win a tussle with Jess Carter and scampered on the Chelsea goal, but a covering Sophie Ingle was able to make the block.
On 56 minutes, the Hammers had the crossbar to thank again, as Ashley Lawrence’s strike from range bounced down off the bar, allowing the ball to be cleared away.
The home side managed to draw level on 70 minutes, with substitute Fishel arrowing a strike that Arnold couldn’t keep out.
Arnold continued to stay alert, as she kept out efforts from James and Buchanan as the Irons looked to force the tie to extra time, which they successfully achieved after keeping Emma Hayes’ team out towards the end of the second half.
In the first half of extra time, there wasn’t much goalmouth activity, but Anouk Denton managed to counterattack and feed Asseyi, but Musovic stopped her attempt.
Erin Cuthbert, a midfield player for Chelsea, arrived late in the area and eventually put the holders up for the first time in the match with a header that went past Arnold.
And Beever-Jones curled a strike over Arnold and into the net to make it three and seal the victory.
The Hammers fought on, but they were losing and had to withdraw from the competition in the fourth round.
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