West Ham United 4-5 Brighton & Hove Albion: Danielle Carter scores two as Seagulls win thriller

Danielle Carter scored twice and set up another as Brighton began life without Hope Powell by winning a nine-goal Women’s Super League thriller at West Ham.

Powell left Brighton this week, after five years in charge, following their dismal 8-0 home defeat by Tottenham and they again fell behind to Lisa Evans’ early cross-shot.

However, Carter pounced on Hammers goalkeeper Sophie Hillyerd’s poor touch to equalise and then turned provider to cross for Veatriki Sarri to slide Brighton in front.

Former Arsenal and England forward Carter made it 3-1 from the penalty spot after Grace Fisk tripped Julia Zigiotti Olme, only for Victoria Williams’ own goal to hand the Hammers a lifeline.

Cool finishes from Elisabeth Terland and Jorja Fox seemed to have sewn victory up for Brighton but Viviane Asseyi’s late double set up a frantic finale including almost 10 minutes of time added on.

They had a number of opportunities to salvage an unlikely point but Claudia Walker spurned the clearest chance, prodding wide after an error from Seagulls stopper Megan Walsh.

Walsh had been caught out by Evans’ third-minute effort that looped over her head but Carter then took control as Albion completed a quickfire turnaround with three goals in 12 minutes.

Hillyerd was at fault for two of them, gifting Carter the ball for the first and then spilling a cross in the lead-up to the penalty for the third, although she did make a fine save from Olme’s 20-yarder.

After the break, Williams diverted a deep free-kick into her own net under pressure to halve the Hammers’ deficit and then collided with Hillyerd at the other end in a worrying moment for the latter.

With no goalkeeper on the bench, Hillyerd was deemed fit to continue after a lengthy spell of treatment but conceded from the resulting corner as Terland was allowed time to hook home.

Fox drilled Brighton’s fifth into the bottom corner after Hillyerd parried a cross but Asseyi scored twice in two minutes with, first, her head and, then, her right foot from a pair of inviting Evans crosses.

However, the Hammers could not find an equaliser and slip to eighth, a place above Brighton, who move six points clear of the relegation place despite conceding 23 goals in their opening six games.

The result continued Brighton’s hold over the Hammers, having beaten them in each of their past five meetings, as well as winning four of their past five away at the Irons.