2 hours ago 10

West Ham 5-0 Southampton: West Ham produce ruthless display to stay top of Group C

West Ham made no mistake against WSL 2 opponents.

West Ham went into the Group C clash full of confidence after notching two wins in the cup already, while Southampton were under pressure, travelling to East London needing a result to keep their hopes alive.

As it happened

The match kicked off under lights at the Chigwell Construction Stadium. West Ham quickly took control of the tempo, probing for openings in the opening minutes, forcing the visitors to defend deep albeit without truly testing the goalkeeper. All they needed was to find the finishing touch.

With the second half underway, West Ham simply picked up where they had left off. With the game all to play for both sides were looking for an edge. In the 64^th minute West Ham were rewarded with a goal from Viviane Asseyi flicked in at the near post.

Less than 10 minutes later the Hammers were rewarded again with a goal from Shekiera Martinez who had come on as a substitute. Martinez nestled the ball into the goal following a corner set-piece.

The goals kept coming for West Ham as they went 3-0 up in the 84^th minute with a goal from Welsh international Ffion Morgan, who glided the ball into the net from a cross into the box.

Southampton tried to push forward and attempt to create something, but the transition phases were sloppy, and chances were few. The hosts frustrated them and picked them off on the break.

West Ham maintained their high tempo, stretching the Saints’ defence and capitalising on slack moments in transition. The crowd sensed a rout, and their team were not letting up.

The fourth and fifth goals came in extra time, the capstone to a dominant performance. Both Asseyi and Martinez claimed their second goals of the night to make is 5-0 to the hammers. By this time, the result was effectively beyond doubt.

With the lead safe, the Hammers brought on substitutes to manage the game. The tempo dropped slightly but the hosts still looked comfortable. Southampton offered little in response and the afternoon ended in complete control for West Ham.