Aston Villa are without a win in five WSL matches against West HamAston Villa dropped their first points of the Women's Super League season as West Ham held on for a narrow victory at the Bescott Stadium.
Dagny Brynjarsdottir gave the visitors an early lead when she nodded in Kirsty Smith's corner from close range.
Honoka Hayashi made it 2-0 before West Ham keeper Mackenzie Arnold saved Alisha Lehmann's second-half penalty.
Kenza Dali pulled a goal back for Villa and West Ham defender Hawa Cissoko was sent off in a dramatic end to the game.
The result lifted Paul Konchesky's West Ham side into sixth in the table, level on points with fifth-placed Villa.
Before the game, players from both teams came together to display a banner reading "protect the players" after a recent independent investigation found "systemic" abuse in the United States' National Women's Soccer League.
This weekend's fixtures are the first WSL games to be played since the report was published.
Clinical Hammers punish Villa
Villa went into the recent international break on the back of impressive league wins over Manchester City and Leicester, and a penalty shootout success against Manchester United in the League Cup.
Their strong start to the campaign earned manager Carla Ward the WSL manager of the month award for September, but the hosts were slow out of the blocks against West Ham and found themselves 2-0 down inside a quarter of an hour.
Rachel Daly, the WSL's joint top scorer this season with three, went close to cancelling out Brynjarsdottir's opener with a looping header that went narrowly over the crossbar, but Hayashi's clinical finish gave West Ham a two-goal cushion moments later.
Villa's Manchester United loanee Kirsty Hanson headed wide from a good position and Anna Patten hit the post with a header on the stroke of half-time, either side of West Ham's Viviane Asseyi finding the side-netting from a tight angle.
Although Villa improved in the second half, they struggled to create any clear openings until the latter stages.
Referee Cheryl Foster awarded Villa a penalty when Kate Longhurst was adjudged to have handled the ball inside the area, but Arnold was equal to Lehmann's tame effort.
Dali sent a magnificent curling finish into the top corner to reduce the arrears, before Cissoko was shown a red card after appearing to slap Sarah Mayling in an off-the-ball altercation.
Konchesky was also dismissed for remonstrating with Foster over the sending-off.
Line-ups
Aston Villa Women
Formation 4-3-3
21Leat
2Mayling15Patten14Turner33Pacheco
10Dali6Corsie19Blindkilde
7Lehmann8Daly20Hanson
21Leat2MaylingBooked at 90mins15PattenSubstituted forHardingat 78'minutes14Turner33Pacheco10Dali6Corsie19Blindkilde7Lehmann8Daly20HansonSubstitutes
11Boye-Hlorkah13Draper16McLoughlin17Harding18Gregory26Goodwin28Rabjohn34MacPhail35MullettWest Ham Women
Formation 4-3-3
1Arnold
3Shimizu22Fisk23Cissoko2Smith
10Brynjarsdóttir12Longhurst19Hayashi
7Evans26Asseyi20Kyvag
1ArnoldBooked at 32mins3Shimizu22Fisk23CissokoBooked at 90mins2Smith10Brynjarsdóttir12LonghurstSubstituted forFilisat 88'minutes19HayashiSubstituted forSnerleat 58'minutesBooked at 75mins7Evans26Asseyi20KyvagSubstituted forAtkinsonat 75'minutesSubstitutes
8Snerle9Walker11Atkinson17Filis28Hillyerd33Houssein41FlanneryReferee:Cheryl FosterAttendance:1,753Live Text
Match ends, Aston Villa Women 1, West Ham United Women 2.
Second Half ends, Aston Villa Women 1, West Ham United Women 2.
Attempt saved. Kirsty Hanson (Aston Villa Women) left footed shot from a difficult angle on the left is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Foul by Kenza Dali (Aston Villa Women).
Mackenzie Arnold (West Ham United Women) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Hawa Cissoko (West Ham United Women) is shown the red card for violent conduct.
Sarah Mayling (Aston Villa Women) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Sarah Mayling (Aston Villa Women).
Hawa Cissoko (West Ham United Women) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt blocked. Laura Blindkilde (Aston Villa Women) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Natasha Harding.
Offside, Aston Villa Women. Rachel Corsie tries a through ball, but Alisha Lehmann is caught offside.
Offside, Aston Villa Women. Kenza Dali tries a through ball, but Kirsty Hanson is caught offside.
Substitution, West Ham United Women. Melisa Filis replaces Kate Longhurst because of an injury.
Corner, Aston Villa Women. Conceded by Kirsty Smith.
Corner, Aston Villa Women. Conceded by Hawa Cissoko.
Corner, Aston Villa Women. Conceded by Grace Fisk.
Attempt blocked. Rachel Daly (Aston Villa Women) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Kenza Dali with a cross.
Corner, Aston Villa Women. Conceded by Hawa Cissoko.
Substitution, Aston Villa Women. Natasha Harding replaces Anna Patten.
Goal! Aston Villa Women 1, West Ham United Women 2. Kenza Dali (Aston Villa Women) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the top right corner. Assisted by Rachel Daly.
