West Ham United Women suffered the cruellest possible ending against Everton as a 94th-minute own goal condemned Rita Guarino’s side to a 1-0 defeat.
The game appeared destined to finish goalless until Yūka Momiki’s late free-kick was turned into her own net by Laia Codina.
The official West Ham match report confirmed that Codina’s header decided the contest in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
West Ham had created opportunities of their own, particularly during the first half, but could not follow last weekend’s victory over London City with another WSL win.
Here are our player ratings.
Constance Picaud-Inconnu – 7.5
West Ham’s best performer.
Commanded her penalty area impressively and produced a vital point-blank save from Clare Wheeler in stoppage time.
She could do very little about the eventual own goal.
Nadine Riesen – 6.5
A steady performance on the right side of the defence.
Everton rarely found an easy route through West Ham during open play.
Laia Codina – 6
An incredibly harsh ending on her return to the starting XI.
Codina almost scored at the correct end from Katie Zelem’s first-half corner and defended solidly for most of the afternoon.
Unfortunately, Momiki’s late delivery glanced off her head and decided the game.
Our confirmed West Ham Women XI article covered Codina’s return before kick-off.
Estelle Cascarino – 6.5
Booked but generally composed.
West Ham limited Everton to few clear opportunities until the dramatic closing stages.
Inès Belloumou – 6.5
Another dependable display on the left.
Worked hard defensively and helped West Ham remain compact.
Katie Zelem – 7
One of West Ham’s strongest performers.
Her set-piece delivery created Codina’s first-half headed opportunity and she again provided composure in midfield.
Zelem’s partnership with Saki Kumagai remains one of the most encouraging parts of Guarino’s new-look side.
Saki Kumagai – 6.5
Disciplined alongside Zelem and helped West Ham remain difficult to break down.
Not quite as influential as she was during the 2-1 victory over London City, but still offered valuable positional intelligence.
Riko Ueki – 6.5
Had one of West Ham’s better attacking moments after combining with Gago but could not find the breakthrough.
Replaced by Leila Wandeler late on.
Seraina Piubel – 6
Worked hard between midfield and attack without consistently influencing the final third.
Replaced by Ebony Salmon after 62 minutes.
Viviane Asseyi – 6.5
Carried a threat down the left and combined well with Gago during West Ham’s better first-half spell.
Booked late on.
Kelly Gago – 6.5
Could not repeat her goalscoring heroics against London City but remained involved in several promising attacks.
West Ham needed one of those moments to produce a finish.
Substitutes
Ebony Salmon – 6.5
Made an immediate impact after replacing Piubel.
Her direct running caused Everton problems down the right, although the final delivery was missing.
Leila Wandeler – 6
Introduced for Ueki in the closing stages.
Did not have enough time to significantly change the contest.
West Ham Women punished at the very end
This was very different from the opening defeat at Tottenham.
West Ham were organised, competitive and seconds away from earning a point.
That makes the result more painful.
Supporters can follow Guarino’s squad throughout the season through our evergreen West Ham Women guide.
The positive is that West Ham do not have long to wait for a response.
They face Tottenham away in the Subway Players Cup on Wednesday night.
Codina will understandably be disappointed.
But one cruel touch should not erase an otherwise solid defensive return.
