West Ham striker Dagny Brynjarsdottir admitted her side’s end product let them down during the 2-0 defeat against Brighton which saw the Hammers leapfrogged by their visitors in the Barclays FA Women’s Super League table.
The Icelandic star is her side’s top scorer but was powerless to prevent the Seagulls leaving Chigwell with all three points courtesy of goals from Aileen Whelan and Inessa Kaagman.
The hosts controlled possession and Brynjarsdottir came close twice in as many minutes in the second half but was denied by Katie Startup on both occasions as West Ham drew a blank.
READ MORE: How Tottenham boss Rehanne Skinner reacted to late FA WSL equaliser after three week break
“It was definitely disappointing,” she said. “We didn’t come out on the front foot and the goals they scored from were from our mistakes.
“Obviously, we created some half chances but we have to be better with the final pass and in the final third.
“I feel like the final pass is just something that’s not there. Many of our chances were half chances, almost with the ball bouncing through the box.
“We need to be a bit more clinical at both ends of the field.”
The game was less than two minutes old when West Ham fell behind, Whelan calmly slotting past Mackenzie Arnold after a fine run by Ellie Brazil.
Grace Fisk was denied by a superb Emma Kullberg tackle as the Hammers sought a response, with Tameka Yallop soon seeing her shot kept out smartly by Startup.
Megan Connolly rattled the bar for Albion before Brynjarsdottir came close twice in quick succession with a header and close-range shot.
A mix-up in the home defence then allowed Kaagman to put the result beyond doubt and Brynjarsdottir rued her side’s slow start while urging improvement in upcoming matches against Manchester City, who lie in wait in the league next weekend and an FA Cup semi-final in April.
“We knew one of Brighton’s strengths was from set-pieces and their first goal came from our own throw in,” she said.
“It’s always hard to start the game 1-0 down as you have to chase the whole time and the second goal was our mistake as well.
“We need to use this leading up to Man City - take what was good but work on what was not so great. Make sure from the first whistle until the last that we are on the front foot.”
To follow the action and sign up for The FA Player’s live Barclays FA Women’s Super League coverage visit womenscompetitions.thefa.com
