Arsenal Women thrash West Ham 5-1 after early own goal in WSL clash

Arsenal flip a nightmare start into a five-goal statement at West Ham

A slapstick own goal after five minutes could have rattled most teams. Instead, Arsenal Women shrugged it off and turned a shaky start into a rout, beating West Ham United 5-1 at the Chigwell Construction Stadium on Friday night. It was their second win in as many Women’s Super League games this season, and the kind of response that tells you a lot about a group’s mentality.

The night began with a twist. A deep cross from Shekiera Martinez should have been simple for Daphne van Domselaar. The ball slipped, kissed the far post, bounced off the keeper and rolled in. West Ham celebrated a gift, Arsenal stared at each other, and the away end went quiet for a beat. That was the last time the game felt even. Once Arsenal settled, they took over — and never let go.

This was billed as a test. The broadcast slots on Sky Sports reflected the interest, and the matchup always carries an edge even if the history leans one way. Arsenal arrived with a spring in their step after a 4-1 opening-day win over London City Lionesses, fuelled by Canadian newcomer Olivia Smith’s dream debut. The team sheet signaled continuity from head coach Renée Slegers: same core, same structure, same intent. One tweak mattered, though. Chloe Kelly, penciled in to start on the right, didn’t make it due to a minor knock. Beth Mead stepped in for her first start of the season and added a different kind of threat in those inside-right pockets.

Slegers had sounded a careful note before kick-off. She talked about humility, about going to a tough ground where West Ham stick to what they believe in. The message was clear: respect the context, then impose your football. After the early mishap, her players did exactly that.

Once Arsenal climbed into their rhythm, their patterns were familiar and effective. Kim Little and Mariona Caldentey controlled the tempo, turning under pressure and threading passes through the half-spaces. Katie Reid and Steph Catley kept the back line proactive, squeezing play when Arsenal had the ball so the team could attack with numbers without leaving open grass behind them. On the flanks, Catley and Fox provided width and progressive carries. Up top, Alessia Russo’s movement pulled West Ham’s center-backs around — first dragging them wide, then spinning into gaps. Olivia Smith ducked inside to combine, while Mead’s timing on the overlap helped tilt the game down the right.

The equalizer came from that right side. Russo led the first clean break, carrying at defenders and slipping a pass that pulled West Ham out of shape. Frida Maanum arrived like a late bus at the top of the box and finished with the calm of someone who’s been there a hundred times. One-all, and the tide had clearly turned.

From there, Arsenal started landing punches in waves. Stina Blackstenius, on as a sharp No 9 option within the rotating front line, gave them an extra gear in transition and bagged the second. Caitlin Foord added the third with the kind of precise, side-footed finish that kills a contest. West Ham were pinned in, the back four scrambling, the midfield unable to get out to the ball carrier before the final pass arrived. By the time Russo made it four and then five — the second a thumping strike in the final minute — the only question left was how big the margin would get.

The scoreline will dominate the headlines, but the process behind it matters just as much. Arsenal’s counter-press was relentless after the 15-minute mark. When West Ham tried to clear, an Arsenal shirt was on the second ball. When the Hammers dropped into a low block, Arsenal didn’t panic or spam aimless crosses; they changed the angle of attack and kept the tempo high until gaps opened. Little’s positioning meant the first pass after a turnover was clean, and Caldentey’s body shape before receiving let her play forward on the half-turn. Those little details are what separate a good performance from a great one.

West Ham can point to the opening phase for positives. They were compact, they got help from their wingers to cover full-back areas, and they were set up to spring from their half. After the freak opener, though, they struggled to string together passes that would relieve pressure. Arsenal closed the space on the flanks, and with Martinez forced deeper, the out ball vanished. The Hammers had survived 86 minutes away at Tottenham on opening day before conceding to a Bethany England penalty. The defensive foundation is there. What’s missing is a way to carry threat for longer stretches against elite pressing sides.

That Arsenal recovered so quickly from the keeper’s error says something about the dressing room. Van Domselaar shook off the moment and played the rest of the match with composure, stepping out to claim crosses and keeping distribution tidy. Her teammates made sure the narrative didn’t stick by dominating field position. It’s an underrated skill: when something embarrassing happens, don’t dwell — take the ball, play your patterns, and move the game up the pitch.

The individuals will get their flowers. Russo’s late brace puts her in early-season form that defenders hate to deal with — lot of shoulder-to-shoulder duels, quick changes of direction, neat one-touch layoffs that set runners free. Maanum’s timing into the box is becoming a reliable source of goals, especially when Little and Caldentey keep opponents’ midfielders occupied. Foord remains one of the cleanest finishers in the league when she gets onto her right foot. Blackstenius, whether starting or rotating through the front line, stretches teams in a way that creates space for everyone else. And Mead, back in a starting role, gave Arsenal variety: at times hugging the touchline, at times darting infield to combine.

Behind them, the full-backs did a lot of the unglamorous work. Catley’s overlaps drew West Ham’s wide players into chase mode, while Fox’s timing on the underlap opened central lanes for cut-backs. Reid’s calm on the ball helped Arsenal build under pressure, and McCabe’s edge in the duels kept West Ham from establishing any rhythm down Arsenal’s left. It’s a group that looks synced in both directions — aggressive enough to win territory, organized enough to snuff out counters before they turn into clear chances.

There was a selection wrinkle worth noting. With Kelly out, the front trio shifted their lines a few yards and mixed roles more than we saw on opening day. Smith pressed high and hard but also dropped to knit play when needed. That ability to rotate positions on the fly is why Arsenal look so fluid. If you track Russo, Smith pops up between your center-backs. If you track Mead, Foord is free weak side. The constant movement creates little two-second windows, and that’s where the damage gets done.

West Ham’s plan wasn’t wrong. They wanted the game compact, they wanted to funnel Arsenal outside, and they looked for quick switches once they regained the ball. The issue was what happened after those switches. Too often, the first touch went backwards, and the moment was gone. Arsenal sensed that hesitation and jumped passing lanes. Martinez’s early cross led to the odd opener, but the supply line dried up once Arsenal started winning those second balls near halfway.

Context matters, too. This fixture has been brutal to West Ham in the WSL era. After this result, Arsenal have taken 12 wins from 14 meetings, with just one defeat and one draw in the mix. Only Chelsea have put more league losses on West Ham’s record. That history doesn’t kick a ball, but it does sit in the background. When Arsenal equalized, you could feel the pattern of past matches reappearing.

Arsenal’s start to the season now reads like a team intent on setting the pace: eight goals in two games, both performances trending up as the minutes tick by. They look like a side comfortable carrying expectation — something you’d expect from the reigning European champions — and confident rotating personnel without losing structure. The small early-season injuries haven’t knocked them off course. Instead, they’ve opened doors for players to stake a claim.

Slegers’ words from the day before the match rang true afterward. She’d said they needed different tools in their toolbox and would prepare for any scenario. They got a scenario nobody wants: an own goal five minutes in. The response was measured, not frantic. Slow the heartbeat, stick to principles, and force the match back onto your terms. That’s what title contenders do in September cold as well as in April when the margins get tight.

What does this mean for West Ham? The first two weeks were always going to be a hard launch: Tottenham away, Arsenal at home. They showed bite and shape for long spells across both games, but they need to add more ball security in midfield and more threat in transition. The defensive platform looks real. If they can carry attacks five or ten yards further up the pitch before releasing the final ball, the pressure they’re under will drop. There’s a spine here to work with and a structure the players believe in; sharper choices in the first pass after a turnover are the next step.

Zooming back in on Arsenal, the competition for places up front is only going to heat up. Kelly’s return will give Slegers another direct runner and a set-piece weapon. Mead’s start here adds a selection headache, the good kind. Smith’s versatility means she can line up across the front line or drop into midfield lines, and Blackstenius offers a very different look to Russo even when they share the pitch. It’s a pick-your-poison attack for opponents, which is why teams end up trying to defend the whole thing rather than one player. That rarely works across 90 minutes.

Credit, too, to the midfield’s balance. Little does a lot of invisible work — scanning, blocking passing lanes, guiding the press a step earlier than the casual eye notices. Caldentey knits moves together and keeps a steady rhythm. Maanum supplies the power runs and the end product. When those three are in sync, the rest of the team plays in lanes rather than in a crowd, and that’s when Arsenal look at their most dangerous.

The atmosphere played its part. Friday night under lights, a compact ground, a home crowd that thought it might be their night after that early bounce into the net. Arsenal quieted it the hard way: by keeping the ball, forcing West Ham to chase, and stepping up the pace at just the right moments. Goals change matches, but control keeps them changed. Once Arsenal put their foot on the ball, West Ham were stuck reacting.

As for the numbers that matter, the scoreboard told the story. West Ham got an early break. Arsenal answered with five, spread across the attack, with contributions from midfield and the wings. It wasn’t one player carrying the load; it was a system working as designed. That’s a good sign this early in the season, when legs are still building and combinations are still forming.

There’s no need to overhype a single September game, but patterns are emerging. Arsenal have shown they can ride out chaos and punish mistakes at the other end. They’re getting production from multiple sources. And they’ve extended a dominant head-to-head record against a team that often makes opponents work for everything. Those are markers of a squad that plans to be around the top all season.

Key moments, notable performances, what’s next

- The opener: A deep Martinez cross slipped through van Domselaar’s grasp, hit the post, bounced off the keeper, and went in. A freak moment, 1-0 West Ham, five minutes in.

- The response: Maanum leveled midway through the first half after Russo sparked Arsenal’s first real surge down the right. The body language flipped right there.

- The control phase: Blackstenius and Foord added goals that reflected Arsenal’s grip — patient build-up, smart runs, clean finishes.

- The exclamation: Russo scored twice late, including a crisp strike in the 90th minute, to underline the gulf by full time.

Scorers for Arsenal: Frida Maanum, Stina Blackstenius, Caitlin Foord, Alessia Russo (2). West Ham’s goal was an own goal credited against van Domselaar. The specifics of time and build-up beyond the key beats mattered less than the pattern: Arsenal pressed, recycled, and finished; West Ham couldn’t live with the tempo for 90 minutes.

Selection notes: Slegers stayed close to the XI that beat London City Lionesses, signaling trust in a group that’s moving the ball with speed and clarity. Kelly’s late withdrawal was managed cleanly, with Mead slotting in and giving Arsenal more inside-out combinations. The back line remained intact, which helped Arsenal play higher after the equalizer.

What it says about the wider picture: Arsenal have now won 12 of their 14 WSL meetings with West Ham, with a single draw and a single defeat. Only Chelsea have handed West Ham more league losses. That history adds weight to this result and reinforces the trend: when Arsenal find their flow, West Ham tend to suffer.

As the calendar turns to the next league round, Arsenal’s checklist is simple: keep the rotations sharp up front, maintain the midfield triangle’s balance, and tidy up the rare unforced errors. For West Ham, the focus shifts to carrying more threat through the middle third and making the first post-turnover pass stick. They defended bravely for stretches in their first two outings; now they need to turn that into control in the moments that matter.

Two wins from two, goals spread across the front line, and a settled spine behind them — that’s a clean platform for a team with big aims, domestic and continental. For West Ham, a tough start offers hard lessons but also a clear path forward. Nights like this are unforgiving. They’re also clarifying. You see where you stand, what travels, what needs work. Arsenal left with a swagger. West Ham left with a list.