West Ham had more first-half shots. Brighton had the 3-0 win.
The league’s match account says neither side created many testing chances before Maisie Symonds’ long-range opener. Brighton then controlled the second half and scored twice in three minutes.
About West Ham United Brighton & Hove Albion
Tom McMillan
Brighton’s 3-0 win over West Ham looks straightforward on the scoreline. The first-half shot count was not: West Ham had eight attempts to Brighton’s five, according to the WSL’s matchweek-seven roundup. The same account says Brighton had much of the possession, while neither side created many especially testing chances apart from the half’s only goal. The tally of attempts alone did not capture how the match was unfolding.
That goal came from Maisie Symonds. After a Brighton cross was headed clear by West Ham’s Saki Kumagai, Symonds met the loose ball from long range and sent it swerving into the top corner. It was a striking finish, but the account’s description of the half offers little basis for saying Brighton had overwhelmed West Ham before it. The score at the break instead reflected one decisive shot in a half with few clear chances.
Brighton’s grip became more apparent after the interval. The roundup says the hosts controlled the second half. West Ham nearly conceded when an error sent the ball deflecting off Ines Belloumou and just wide, before Brighton added two goals in three minutes. In the 63rd minute, Marisa Olislagers’ ball into the box deflected, and Fran Kirby slid in at the back post to score. Kiko Seike then chipped the goalkeeper as she advanced toward goal.
That sequence gives the 3-0 result its shape: a first-half goal from distance, then a second-half spell in which Brighton turned control into two more scores. It also helps explain why the earlier shot count is not, by itself, a contradiction. More attempts do not necessarily mean more dangerous chances; in this match, the league’s account says neither team produced many testing ones before Symonds scored.
Afterward, Brighton manager Arturo Ruiz called it “a complete performance.” West Ham manager Rita Guarino spoke of “big mistakes” and the need for improvement, the roundup reported. The brief quotes show how each coach assessed the result, but the match details make the contrast clearest: West Ham’s first-half volume did not prevent Brighton from scoring the key goal, and Brighton’s second-half control did not become decisive until Kirby and Seike finished the next two chances.
