It was a bold decision for West Ham to replace manager Rehanne Skinner with Rita Guarino in December, but are we already starting to see the pay-off?
The Italian had never before managed outside her homeland and was jumping right into the fire of the Women’s Super League relegation battle, but she has instilled a fighting spirit into a team that previously looked lost.
Guarino, and crucially her players, have rolled up their sleeves and got to work.
Yes, they lost 5-0 to Chelsea, but two significant individual errors that afternoon had them 2-0 down before they truly got started.
Sunday’s performance at Leicester was more reflective of the West Ham Guarino is building.
They were happy to sit back and defend their box, having less than 50% possession and fielding a total of 33 crosses from the home side, all the while waiting for their moment to strike.
When those moments came, Hanshaw and Martinez delivered, which is exactly what you need when you are battling for survival.
On the other side of the coin, Leicester City were wasteful, spurning chance after chance as the points were snatched away.
A positive note for them was Lehmann’s impact off the bench just three days after signing for the club.
They will hope that the Swiss international can show more of that in the coming weeks as they look to avoid being reeled into the battle at the bottom.
Just two points now separate the Foxes from bottom side Liverpool, with the weekend’s results creating a group of four clubs cut adrift from the rest of the pack, also including 10th-placed Everton.
While the lure of the title race is clear, the battle to avoid being left in the relegation play-off place promises to be just as intriguing.
