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Riko Ueki scored her first goal for West Ham since November 2024 West Ham climbed to eighth in the Women's Super League with a hard-fought win against fifth-placed Brighton. Second-half goals from Riko Ueki and Viviane Asseyi helped Rehanne Skinner's side post their second win in three matches and move eight points clear of bottom side Crystal Palace. In a frenetic start at Chigwell Construction Stadium, Hammers goalkeeper Kinga Szemik denied Madison Haley from close range, before Ueki tested Melina Loeck at the other end. Japan forward Ueki forced another save out of Loeck in the 11th minute, but this time Shekiera Martinez was on hand to tap in for her second Hammers goal in four appearances this season. Brighton were back level three minutes later, though, as Jelena Cankovic and Rachel Mc Lauchlan combined before the Scot's low cross was turned home by Nikita Parris for her fifth of the season. The hosts, however, finished the half strongly as Manuela Pavi, restored to the starting line-up by Skinner, hit the woodwork after capitalising on a wayward backpass from Caitlin Hayes. Another defensive mix-up, this time from the Seagulls, gave West Ham the lead in the 64th minute as Ueki intercepted Guro Bergsvand's pass and slotted past Loeck. The victory was sealed four minutes later as Asseyi was brought down in the box by Mc Lauchlan and the French forward made no mistake from the penalty spot. West Ham are now only four points behind Brighton with eight games left of the season. Kinga Szemik kept out four of Brighton's five shots on target With Everton losing to leaders Chelsea earlier, West Ham had the chance to leapfrog the Toffees in the WSL standings by defeating Brighton. And it was Szemik, 27, who helped the Hammers get the crucial victory with an impressive display between the sticks. With the score at 1-1, the Pole denied Bergsvand with a brilliant reflex save before acrobatically tipping behind Cankovic's fierce strike from inside the box. She also kept out a vicious half-volley from Kiko Seike 12 minutes into the second period, and those interventions proved decisive as West Ham went on to secure the three points with a quick-fire double. While Skinner's side can look up after back-to-back wins at home, Brighton have failed to win any of their past six league fixtures. In fact, they have not won since beating the Hammers 3-2 in November, with the only positives for head coach Dario Vidosic being Fran Kirby's first appearance since that win and Parris marking her call-up to the England squad with another goal. After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users. Get the latest WSL news on our dedicated page Comments can not be loaded To load Comments you need to enable Java Script in your browser Last Updated 16th February 2025 at 18: 45 Please Note: All times UK. Tables are subject to change. The BBC is not responsible for any changes that may be made. Manager: Rehanne Skinner Formation: 4 - 4 - 2 Manager: Dario Vidosic Formation: 3 - 4 - 2 - 1 Manager: Rehanne Skinner Formation: 4 - 4 - 2 Manager: Dario Vidosic Formation: 3 - 4 - 2 - 1 Women's Super League All competitions All competitions All competitions Match ends, West Ham United Women 3, Brighton and Hove Albion Women 1. Second Half ends, West Ham United Women 3, Brighton and Hove Albion Women 1. Attempt saved. Oona Siren (West Ham United Women) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Viviane Asseyi. Foul by Dejana Stefanovic (Brighton and Hove Albion Women). Katrina Gorry (West Ham United Women) wins a free kick on the left wing. Attempt missed. Rachel Mc Lauchlan (Brighton and Hove Albion Women) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left following a set piece situation. Pauline Bremer (Brighton and Hove Albion Women) wins a free kick on the right wing. Foul by Dagny Brynjarsdóttir (West Ham United Women). Fourth official has announced 5 minutes of added time. Corner, Brighton and Hove Albion Women. Conceded by Kinga Szemik. Substitution, West Ham United Women. Dagny Brynjarsdóttir replaces Riko Ueki. Jorelyn Carabalí (Brighton and Hove Albion Women) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Seraina Piubel (West Ham United Women). Substitution, Brighton and Hove Albion Women. Bex Rayner replaces Madison Haley. Attempt saved. Seraina Piubel (West Ham United Women) right footed shot from the left side of the six yard box is saved in the centre of the goal. Substitution, Brighton and Hove Albion Women. Fran Kirby replaces Jelena Cankovic. Substitution, Brighton and Hove Albion Women. Pauline Bremer replaces Kiko Seike. Substitution, Brighton and Hove Albion Women. Dejana Stefanovic replaces Vicky Losada. Substitution, Brighton and Hove Albion Women. Jorelyn Carabalí replaces Guro Bergsvand. Foul by Caitlin Hayes (Brighton and Hove Albion Women). Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.