Leicester City 1-1 West Ham: Hammers strike late after red card to deny Foxes

Honoka Hayashi struck in the eighth minute of stoppage time to end 10-player West Ham’s five-game losing run and lift them off the foot of the Women’s Super League.

Defender Hawa Cissoko was sent off for West Ham in the closing stages after two quick yellow cards, but moments later Hayashi levelled.

Leicester had looked set for a first win since October, but they could have few arguments about the result on the balance of play.

West Ham were defensively resolute as Leicester assumed early control. It was also West Ham who created the better chances, despite having less of the ball.

Jessica Ziu forced Janina Leitzig into action with a strike after 25 minutes, before Viviane Asseyi was held off well by the Leicester defence.

The visitors then squandered two superb opportunities as the break approached.

Asseyi was a growing threat and found Riko Ueki with an excellent lay-off, but the Japan international fired wide. Ziu, bearing down on goal from another chance, somehow failed to slot past Leitzig.

Aileen Whelan and Petermann combined at the other end, finding Jutta Rantala, but she too could not hit the target to end what was a tough first half for the Foxes.

It was West Ham asking more questions after the break, too, as the game restarted at a frenetic pace.

Asseyi missed two more golden opportunities. First, she blazed over the bar after Leitzig spilled a cross, and then she snatched at the rebound from an Ueki header.

Leitzig, usually so calm and reliable, then narrowly avoided being dispossessed by Ueki as a West Ham opener seemed inevitable.

But Leicester almost took the lead when Whelan’s innocuous-looking volley almost stunned everyone by finding the corner.

With 22 minutes remaining, Petermann fired the home side in front completely against the run of play. Leicester had been restricted to sporadic breaks forward but made one count when the Germany forward prodded home Whelan’s cross.

Substitute Emma Harries thought she was about to level when she was played through by Ueki, but Leitzig saved and Leicester managed to clear before Emma Snerle could tap in.

Cissoko was sent off in the fifth minute of stoppage time, shown a second yellow card for a foul moments after her first, but all was forgiven when Hayashi bundled 17-year-old Princess Ademiluyi’s cross in at the far post.

More to follow.