Pride Park looms for Blues after 2-0 League Cup semi-fianl win over rugged West Ham
By Paul Lagan at Kingsmeadow Stadium
Chelsea 2 v West Ham 0
League Cup semi-final
Another Chelsea win, another final beckons, as the Blues overcame West Ham 2-0 in a dour League Cup semi-final encounter at Kingsmeadow.
There was little in the way of consistent high-level quality one would have expected from the WSL champions, but West Ham, in the second-half in particular, showed glimpses that better things are ahead for them.
But by then they were already 2-0 down. A Johanna Rytting Kaneryd smasher and a Sjoeke Nusken tap-in the difference between the sides.
Chelsea were dominant in the first half, while the Hammers bossed most of the second.
But it will be Chelsea who will head to :Pride Park on March 15 to face either Manchester City or Arsenal.
Chelsea's desire to get a quick goal and kill off the game disappeared early on, as the Hammers opted for low defensive block, requiring either a route one effort or some wing play to get behind the defensive barrier.
Chelsea failed to do that.
A wayward but potentially spectacular effort by Mayra Ramirez could have seen her 13th minute long-range blockbuster smash the back of the net. Instead it smashed the back of the stand behind the goal.
Then Nathalie Bjorn failed to correctly head the ball from a Niamh Charles byline cross. The ball drifted harmlessly over the West Ham crossbar on 15 minutes.
But on 20 minutes Rytting Kaneryd (JoJo) decided to do what Ramirez attempted – and it paid off.
After a build-up of pressure around the West Ham penalty area, the visitors thought they had cleared the ball but JoJo had other ideas and she thumped a venomous right-footer past Kinga Szemik to put the west Londoners 1-0 up.
A howler of an error by Eve Nystrom on 28 minutes, on the edge of he penalty area, allowed Nusken to snatch the ball, round the goalkeeper and tap home number two.
Maika Hamano had a shot on 32 minutes. This time Szemik was on the spot to block it.
There were no changes by either side at half-time.
JoJo, Hamano and Ramirez both had early efforts to extend the lead – in neither case was the execution worthy of the name a shot.
Chelsea made a double substitution on 60 minutes – on came Lauren James and Aggie Beever-Jones, off went Ramirez and Lawrence.
West Ham also replaced Shekiera Martinez for Serainia Piubel.
Hamano was soon replaced by Wieke Kaptein – to help shore up the midfield on 69 minutes.
West Ham reciprocated by bringing on Camila Saez and Dagny Brynjarsdottir, off went Eva Nystrom and Oona Siren.
Then it was Riko Ueki who was taken off and on came Manuela Pavi.
A looping header by West Ham defender Saez almost tested Hannah Hampton, but the ball went over her crossbar.
Chelsea then took JoJo off and Oriane Jean-Francois came on with 10 minutes left on the clock.
West Ham can take consolation that their second half performance put Chelsea on the back foot on a number of occasions but they are still several levels away from challenging for top-level honours.
Teams: Chelsea: Hampton, Bright, Nusken, Ramirez, Reiten, Lawrence, Bjorn, Rytting Kaneryd (JoJo), Charles, Hamano, Walsh
Subs: Liefting, Cuthbert, Macario, James, Kaptein, Mpome, Jean-Francois, Beever-Jones, Brown
West Ham: Szemik, Smith, Siren, Ueki, Nystrom, Zadorsky, Martinez, Asseyi, Gorry, Mengwen, Hanshaw
Subs: Walsh, Bergman Lundin, Brynjarsdottir, Pavi, Harries, Saez, Denton, Houssein, Piubel
Referee: Stacey Pearson
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