West Ham clung on for their first win of the Women’s Super League season after Viviane Asseyi’s first-half goal was enough to beat Leicester 1-0.

Manuela Pavi picked up the assist from the opener, scored by the French forward late in stoppage time at the Chigwell Construction Stadium.

The hosts limited Leicester to a handful of chances and the visitors rarely looked close to capitalising.

The Irons’ first clean sheet of the season moves them up to ninth in the table, one place below their opposition but level on five points apiece.

It was a scrappy start from both sides, devoid of real chances as they looked to find a foothold early on.

The hosts enjoyed a more promising spell just after a third of the way through the first period as Japanese striker Riko Ueki, who would have been called offside, was denied by the boot of Janina Leitzig.

Hannah Cain had the best chance for the visitors but lacked accuracy, her low effort from the edge of the 18-yard box drifting just wide of the far post.

There were worrying scenes when the Wales international, who has already sustained two anterior cruciate ligament injuries since signing for the Foxes in 2020, went down and required treatment.

She was deemed fit to continue and though the Hammers could not make anything of a free-kick during Cain’s brief absence from the pitch, the home side increasingly looked likelier to break the deadlock.

Oona Siren blazed over, Katrina Gorry tried twice and Ueki side-footed an attempt from a tight angle, while the Hammers largely limited Leicester’s chances to just Ruby Mace’s looping effort from distance.

Action paused briefly for a referee change as Jane Simms, who picked up a calf injury, was replaced by Abi Byrne.

Asseyi fired the hosts in front with one of the final touches in six minutes of added time, latching on to Pavi’s threaded pass before rounding Leitzig.

Siren had a chance to double West Ham’s lead when the Foxes failed to deal with a cross after the break, but fired directly at the Leicester keeper.

Amber Tysiak nodded the ball in the back of the net, but the offside flag was raised as the threat continued to come from the hosts as Shelina Zadorsky called Leitzig into action again with a header.

The Hammers were still searching for a cushion as the contest entered the final 10 minutes and Leicester won two corners.

Sophie Howard, in plenty of space, missed a big chance to draw her side level with the second when she directed her header straight into Tysiak’s chest.

Leitzig denied Asseyi’s attempt to bag a brace and neither side could change the scoreline in five minutes of stoppage time.