We persevered to find the breakthrough against a stubborn West Ham United defence, winning 2-0 in pre-season on Wednesday night courtesy of a Frida Maanum double.<\/p>\n
Our second-half pressure paid off when Jenna Nighswonger crossed for Maanum to head home in front of a bouncing North Bank at Meadow Park, before Pelova found our Norwegian forward on the counter-attack to make it two.<\/p>\n
FIRST HALF<\/p>\n
Pelova had our first shot deflected behind for a corner after Chloe Kelly won the ball in the final third. The following set-piece came out to Kyra Cooney-Cross, whose delivery was flicked wide by the head of Alessia Russo.<\/p>\n
At the other end, Viviane Asseyi\u2019s ball into the box was dealt with by Katie McCabe to concede a West Ham corner, and that one was met at the back post by Shelina Zedorsky, Daphne van Domselaar on hand to stop her shot squeezing in.<\/p>\n
Cooney-Cross sent a free-kick into the corridor of uncertainty, hitting Riko Ueki, but quick reflexes from Kinga Szemik to get down to her right and make the save denied us an opening goal.<\/p>\n
Asseyi\u2019s next corner was punched clear by Van Domselaar and our goalkeeper was on hand to catch the following cross as well.<\/p>\n
Emily Fox read the play well to cut out a clearance from West Ham, and Kelly then teed up Pelova, who fired wide from distance.<\/p>\n
With half-time approaching, Van Domselaar stuck out her right foot to clear the danger from a Katrina Gorry cross, and we went into the break goalless.<\/p>\n
SECOND HALF<\/p>\n
We made seven changes at half-time, with Russo, Kelly, Kim Little and Steph Catley making way for Maanum, Olivia Smith, Laia Codina and Katie Reid.<\/p>\n
Nighswonger, Taylor Hinds, and Beth Mead also came on for Lotte Wubben-Moy, Fox, and Foord.<\/p>\n
It was Codina who had our first chance of the second half, heading wide from a McCabe corner.<\/p>\n
Smith tried her luck from distance but Oona Siren got a touch on the shot for an Arsenal corner. Unfortunately, Cooney-Cross\u2019 delivery evaded everyone and sailed out for a goal-kick.<\/p>\n
After Nighswonger\u2019s cross was headed wide by Maanum, Sophie Harwood was next to come off the bench, replacing McCabe in the 65th minute.<\/p>\n
We were very much in the ascendancy with around 20 minutes remaining, Mead\u2019s corner coming out to Pelova, whose effort was deflected just wide for another corner.<\/p>\n
Hinds put a cross in and Maanum headed over, before Pelova won us a free-kick on the edge of the area, but Mead curled it over the bar.<\/p>\n
Eventually, that pressure paid off, when Nighswonger\u2019s cross was headed into the bottom left corner by Maanum for 1-0.<\/p>\n
With nine minutes to go, Pelova raced into West Ham\u2019s half on the counter-attack before sending a perfect pass over the top of the defence for Maanum to run onto. The latter made no mistake, picking out the bottom left corner to double our lead.<\/p>\n
Pelova then made way for Vivienne Lia following another impressive performance, and Hinds shot straight at Szemik as we continued our pursuit of even more goals. In the end, the 2-0 lead was more than enough.<\/p>\n
WHAT’S NEXT<\/p>\n