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Brighton & Hove Albion Women face West Ham Women in the League Cup Group Stage at the Peoples Pension Stadium |
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It's Conti Cup time as the Seagulls face the Hammers in a repeat of last year's fixture. That game was a draw in 90 then the Seagulls won the penalty shoot-out in some style. It wasn't enough on the night and the Hammers won the group. This year they are in a better position having won away at Birmingham City and are on top of the group above tonight's opponents on goal difference. All to play for then. It's almost an all new line up from last year. Nikki Everard is between the posts. Poppy gets a start as almost a wingback with a back 3 of Thorisdottir, Bergsvand and Kullberg. Charlize Rule is on the opposite wing with Sarri in front of her. Hard to tell who will be where but Tatiana Pinto gets a start as does Lee. In goal for the Hammers is Albion's penalty shoot-out hero from last year, Megan Walsh. Hope it doesn't get to pens tonight. No Lucy parker tonight as she move to Villa in the summer. Also in the line up their no. 20 Asseyi who seems to go down screaming every time she gets tackled. Could be fun to watch👀.
Brighton are aggressive from the start. They are dominating possession and pressing and winning the ball when they don't have it. Passing is good especially in the mid field with Lee doing a lot of linking up. Emma replacing Jorelyn Carabali is a good move as her calmness is better suited to challenge posed by the opponents becoming increasingly frustrated at their inability to get and keep the ball. The did make a foul of 3. Asseyi gets booked early on. Not helping herself being lippy to the ref. It did stop the rolling around and screaming though😶. Two other Hammers get booked in the first half. Megan Walsh makes some good saves as Albion press but the first goal comes from a corner as Bergsvand heads home at the near post just into injury time⚽. Just rewards at the end of the half.
The Hammers make a couple of changes at the break. Asseyi is gone. Taken off before she got sent off. Cissoko is on. The Seagulls are playing well. Massie Symond presses Megan Walsh as she come to clear the ball from outside the box. It rebounds of her and she gets clear in the box before being chopped down. Lossada makes no mistake with the penalty on 52⚽. Tatiana Pinto gets on the end of a neat chip from Vicky but is fouled from behind as she runs into the box. It's another penalty and this time Sarri makes sure of it on 61. Mellisa makes some changes an d lee and Sarri go off for Terland and Hayley. Vicky goes off for Ziggioti. We get to 70 minutes before Nikki has to make a save. Brighton seem to have lost some of their fluidity with the changes and aren’t getting it all their own way. Robbo torments them for a while but we can't get a 4th. When the next goal comes it goes to the visitors as Cissoko reacts quickest after her own header is blocked. She makes no mistakes and her neat chip beats Nikki. It's a only a consolation and it finishes 3-1.
The Seagulls top the group with just a away visit to Charlton to go. The team is looking much better now. Lee has her confidence back and making great passed for runners. You can tell the whole team is now confident in the way they are playing. They're making little back-heeled passes and enjoying their passing football. Couldn't be more different to this fixture last year. Megan Walsh was POTM last year and may have got that today if she was still with the Seagulls. She made some great saves and did well to keep the score down. Glad she didn't save any penalities today having saved 3 and won us the shoot-out last year.
POTM: goes to Charlize 🏅for great energy, good passing and running up and down the wing.
Ref was letting a lot go initially but she did start to clamp down when she got fed up with the levels of fouling. West Ham got the worst of it as they were getting stroppy about Brighton playing some decent football around them. It earned them 4 yellows in the first half. She got the calls right for the penalties too. Although she missed what might have been a third late on when Terland got grabbed by the shoulder in the box. Well, you aren't going to get them all.
The Scranometer loved the halloumi burger with chilli jam 8.5/10 and the hot chocolate with marshmallows from the Fan Park 9/10.
See you tomorrow at the Bridge.
Love Tranmerekat 🐾
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| It's about to kick off |
