West Ham United 1-9 Arsenal Women: Roord leads Gunners’ annilihation of Irons

Jill Roord scored a hat-trick for a second consecutive week and Vivianne Miedema got a brace as Arsenal completely blew out West Ham United 9-1. It is the joint largest away win in the WSL, with Chelsea beating Yeovil Town 8-0 two seasons ago. West Ham did play with ten for nearly an hour, as Gilly Flaherty was given a second yellow card for dissent shortly after Vivianne Miedema scored Arsenal’s second goal.

In front of a crowd of 734—reduced because of social distancing measures—West Ham started the brighter team. They tried to physically impose themselves on Arsenal and had an early chance when Jill Roord’s cross-field pass was intercepted at the top of box by Adrianna Leon, who saw her shot parried by Maneula Zinsberger.

Arsenal would then lose Steph Catley, who went down after a knock to her head following a challenge from Grace Fisk, who was booked. Catley was replaced by Katie McCabe, who soon made an instant impact. Vivianne Miedema dropped deep to collect possession, and played the ball down the left for the rampaging McCabe. Her cutback was precise and found Jill Roord, who made no mistake to make it 1-0 Arsenal.

West Ham, though, struck back. Arsenal failed to clear after some West Ham pressure, and the ball fell to Kenzia Dalí on the edge of the eighteen. Her shot took a deflection off of Kim Little’s back and beat Zinsberger.

Arsenal, though, began to impose themselves, and West Ham’s plan to play a high line fell apart; especially in a fifteen minute period that saw Arsenal take control of the match:

• 31’ Beth Mead was played through, and her cutback fell to an unmarked Nobbs. Nobbs took an extra touch, and Mackenzie Arnold saved.
• 32’ Miedema was played in. She was one on one with Arnold, but, with Mead coming up, dithered between shooting and passing, and Arnold was able to smother.
• 34’ Kim Little played the ball through to an offside looking Mead. The flag stayed down, and Mead’s cross was buried by Miedema, who looked throughly annoyed. Flaherty was sent off for dissent.
• 37’ Miedema was played in again, rounded Arnold, but hit the post.
• 40’ Lia Wälti and Jill Roord combined, and then Mead slipped in Kim Little through the middle to make it 3-1.
• 42’ After a poor touch from Miedema, and a bad clearance by Fisk, Mead came onto the ball with her left foot, and flashed her shot past an unfortunate Arnold.

West Ham made two changes at half-time, to readjust to losing a centre back and their captain. After a promising enough start, they were again undone in five minutes:

• 52’ A flowing move played in Katie McCabe, whose cross was again met by Roord, who finished easily to make it 5-1. Roord did look slightly offside.
• 54’ Leon’s misplaced pass set Miedema away. She shrugged off the centre back and then her powerful shot beat Arnold.
• 56’ Roord finished her hat trick, this time set up by Miedema. Roord’s shot bounced up over Arnold’s glove—the one mistake from the West Ham keeper.

Arsenal made a number of subs, bringing on Lisa Evans, Danïelle van de Donk, and Caitlin Foord, at 7-1. Arsenal lost some of their fluidity, but still got two more goals: from a corner, Foord’s shot rebounded to Leah Williamson, who tucked her shot away, and then Caitlin Foord got her first league goal for Arsenal: Miedema played a through ball into acres of space for Lisa Evans, who unselfishly set up Foord for the tap-in into the empty net—the eighteenth shot on target of the day for Arsenal, who had 25 shots overall.

West Ham (4-3-3): Arnold; Pacheco, Vetterlein, Flaherty, Fisk; Katerina Svitkova (Redisch 46’), Dali (Van Egmond 46’), Cho, Leon (Kiernan 72’), Daly, Lehmann (Grant 66’)

Substitutes not used: Brosnan, Mustafa, Longhurst, Dunbar-Bonnie, Cruickshank

Goals: Dali 27’

Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Zinsberger, Maritz, Schnaderbeck (Gut 68’), Williamson, Catley (McCabe 22’), Roord (Foord 57’), Wälti, Kim Little (Van de Donk 57’), Nobbs, Miedema, Mead (Evans 57’)

Substitutes not used: Stenson, Maier, Mace

Goals: Roord 23, 52, 56, Miedema 34, 54, Little 40, Mead 42, Williamson 72, Foord 86