West Ham hold off London City to seal first WSL win
West Ham held on for a 2-1 home win over London City Lionesses to claim their first Women's Super League victory of the season. The Guardian
The match was played in Dagenham on Saturday 12 September 2026. It was West Ham's first home fixture of the new league campaign, the top flight of women's football in England. Kick-off was at 12:45pm BST. West Ham United
West Ham struck first in the 21st minute through Kelly Gago. Seraina Piubel played the pass from near halfway to send her clear. Gago kept her cool, rounded goalkeeper Elene Lete and finished for 1-0.
The hosts doubled the lead three minutes after half-time. Riko Ueki did the damage with a run from 40 yards out. She then laid the ball off for Viviane Asseyi to score West Ham's second.
London City refused to go quietly. Danielle van de Donk pulled one back 14 minutes from time. Her finish was a backheel at the near post to make it 2-1.
The visitors arrived with momentum. They had beaten Manchester United on the opening weekend of the season. West Ham, by contrast, had started their league campaign away to Tottenham Hotspur.
What makes this stand out is the timing. West Ham needed a response in front of their own fans. Two sharp, direct goals gave them control. One clever finish from Van de Donk made them earn it.
