After a turbulent week for the club, interim boss Renee Slegers will have left the Chigwell Construction Stadium relieved as her side battled hard in the rain for a 2-0 win against a struggling West Ham side. A quiet first half put many Arsenal fans on edge after last season's shock 2-1 defeat at the same ground, but a stronger second half saw them turn their fortunes around for a much needed three points in the Barclays Women's Super League.

As it happened It was a slow start to proceedings as neither side looked switched on in the opening stages; sloppy passes and slow movement perhaps caused by the violent rainfall didn't make for the most exciting first 45 minutes. The game's first real chance came in the 19th minute when Arsenal caught West Ham off guard from a throw-in and Frida Maanum flicked the ball on quickly to Alessia Russo, but her shot flew across the face of goal, just missing the bottom corner. The home side then failed to clear their lines not long after, nearly allowing Emily Fox to grab her second goal of the week but Kinga Szemik dealt with it well.

The first half never livened up, with the only shot on target coming in the 40th minute when Lia Walti tried her luck from the edge of the box, but it was saved well low from Szemik. At the interval it seemed that a moment of magic, or an unfortunate mistake, would end up deciding the game.

It was telling that on the hour mark Renee Slegers made a quadruple substitution to try to spark some life under her side after another tepid 15 minutes, and it was these changes that eventually won the game for her. Stina Blackstenius almost made an impact straight off the bench as a trademark run in behind followed by a drilled shot across goal forced a fingertip save from Szemik to put it behind.

However, it didn't take long for Blackstenius' runs to pay off as she made the most of West Ham's higher press in the second half. Her movement got the better of Amber Tysiak, whose unnecessary dive brought the Swede down for a penalty. Mariona Caldentey slotted it into the bottom left corner with ease for her first WSL goal and the Gunners' first of the game, giving them a slender lead with just under twenty minutes remaining.

However, after a tough week for Arsenal, another summer signing sealed the three points for Renee Slegers' side in the 89th minute. Blackstenius, with a headstart on the defence, charged down the left hand side to slide the ball into the area. Rosa Kafaji met it at the penalty spot and put her shout out of reach of the impressive Szemik to calm any remaining nerves.

The lineups WHU: Szemik; Li, Cooke, Tysiak, Zadorsky, Denton; Piubel, Gorry, Siren; Ueki, Asseyi

ARS: Van Domselaar; McCabe, Catley, Codina, Fox; Walti, Maanum, Little; Foord, Russo, Caldentey

Reporting from Chigwell Construction Stadium

J Cardy