The surprising moment that changed West Ham’s mentality against Chelsea, according to Rehanne Skinner | OneFootball

Rehanne Skinner (Karl W newton/SPP)

West Ham head coach Rehanne Skinner says her side’s mentality improved against Chelsea when they were 3-0 down – and reduced to ten players.

Ines Belloumou was sent off in the 24th minute for tugging the hair of Alyssa Thompson – but Skinner said that the adversity made her team perform better.

“When we go down to ten players, that changed the mentality of the team for the better,” she told the club’s website after the match – which ended 4-0 to the defending champions, and leaves West Ham at the bottom of the Women’s Super League.

“I think they showed a lot of grit and resilience and determination during that time. We got through to half-time with a little bit more organisation, a little bit more fight within the team. Second half, when we came out and did the same thing – I’m proud of the performance second half, but unfortunately we can’t be in that position in the first instance.”

Rehanne Skinner: You can’t give time and space like that

West Ham conceded the first three goals in the opening quarter of an hour, courtesy of Aggie Beever-Jones, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, and Erin Cuthbert, and Skinner added that her side’s defending had been poor.

“The spell when we conceded the three goals was a real low point for us within the game, the way we defended during that time cost us,” she said.

“You can’t give time and space the way that we did.

“We were really tentative with our defending and it’s just not what we’re about. They were too cheap, the goals, and obviously against a team like Chelsea, they’re going to punish you for that.”

Skinner: We had chances to score

But she also thought her ten-player team created some good goalscoring chances of their own, which should have been converted – and which offer some additional signs of positivity going forward.

“We had chances to score goals in the second half,” she went on. “I don’t think it would have changed the outcome of the game but ultimately the fact that we were still creating chances in the circumstances, we can also be pleased with.”

Wieke Kaptein concluded the scoring when she added the fourth in the 70th minute.

West Ham’s next match is when they host Aston Villa on Sunday, 5th October, as they look to move up and away from the foot of the WSL table.