In a league where the gap between the top and the bottom is remarkably narrow, the focus often shifts to the lower ranks. West Ham's remarkable 5-2 comeback victory over Crystal Palace has, at least temporarily, quelled any relegation fears. Goals from Viviane Asseyi, Seraina Piubel, Manuela Paví, Anouk Denton, and Katrina Gorry for the Hammers overturned the early lead established by Mille Gejl and Indiah-Paige Riley for the visiting side at the windswept Victoria Road.
West Ham, Palace, and Leicester began the day with identical five-point tallies. With Leicester suffering a 4-0 defeat to Manchester City, one of the other struggling sides had a chance to create some distance from the bottom. This encapsulates the tight nature of the WSL, with just five points separating Tottenham in sixth, on 10 points, and Palace in 12th, on five, by the end of the match.
For the fourth time in five games, Laura Kaminski's Palace took an early lead, this time in the fifth minute. Kirsty Smith was dispossessed in the final third, allowing Annabel Blanchard to feed Gejl, who slotted the ball past goalkeeper Kinga Szemik. By the 11th minute, their lead was doubled when Riley cut onto her left and nudged the ball into the bottom corner.
“We’re scoring goals and creating chances, which is important,” Kaminski had noted before the match in Dagenham. She is correct; Palace has shown efficiency in moving the ball forward in their inaugural WSL season, displaying a clear structure. However, consistency over 90 minutes has been elusive. “Now, it’s about managing moments in games. We’ve been working hard on composure and control,” Kaminski added. Unfortunately, these efforts have yet to translate into tangible results on the pitch.
The fact that only Aston Villa had dropped more points, eight, from winning positions than Crystal Palace, seven, prior to the meeting with West Ham was indicative of what was to come. The Hammers pulled one back through Asseyi, the French forward side-footing in at the far post after Piubel delivered a cross from the right. Piubel herself found the net for the equaliser, with Gorry releasing the Swiss forward on the right, who then slotted past Shae Yanez at the near post.
The comeback was sealed by half-time, with Riko Ueki’s ball floated into the box and shielded by Asseyi, allowing Paví to slot in. There was less excitement after the break, with West Ham fans chanting “we want four” past the hour mark as the goals dried up. Palace came closest to scoring next, with Katie Stengel, booked earlier for kicking the ball away after the whistle, spinning around a defender before seeing her low strike smothered by Szemik.
Skinner’s side secured the win with less than 10 minutes remaining, Denton firing into the corner after a mazy run from just inside the opposition half, before Gorry added a fifth in stoppage time, turning in at the far post after the ball was diverted into her path. West Ham’s immediate future looks more secure, with their two wins coming against fellow WSL strugglers Leicester and Palace. Aston Villa await next weekend, before the winter break, providing another opportunity to assert their WSL credentials. For Palace, composure and defensive solidity can’t come soon enough.
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