Lionesses shore up defence but have questions to answer in attack

England Women 0 US Women 0

In a game that had promised excitement and fireworks, the biggest celebration came from one of the goalkeepers.

When the United States saw the second-half penalty they had been awarded overturned by VAR, Mary Earps turned to the crowd and pumped her fist in the air.

Earps, who seemed to have her swagger back after recently losing her place to Hannah Hampton, was probably the Lionesses’ best player at Wembley. She made two vital saves in the first half and seemed to offer a calmness that Hampton perhaps lacked when England were beaten 4-3 by Germany last month.

The Lionesses’ defensive improvement after that calamitous showing was the biggest positive for manager Sarina Wiegman. But it is hard to escape concern over the attacking department. Just one shot on target, a tame header from Leah Williamson, told the story.

England lacked ideas and urgency. It is true that they were missing Lauren Hemp and Lauren James – arguably their two most creative players – but the US were also without their star forwards. They still managed to create more chances than England. Emma Hayes cut a frustrated figure each time her players failed to make the most of them. The former Chelsea manager would have loved nothing more than to beat England in their own backyard, but it was not to be.

“I thought we were in control of the game but at the end of the day we didn’t score,” Hayes said. “I thought we should have done more with the volume of entries we had.

“I enjoyed our performance but we were missing the last part. I don’t recall many clear-cut chances, if any. I thought we were the better team over 90 minutes. At the end, Mary Earps wanted to waste time, not us. We’re the away team so I’ll take that.”

Wiegman’s substitutes were as predictable as her team’s attacking play. Once again she opted not to throw on youngsters Grace Clinton and Aggie Beever-Jones, who have been in fine form in the Women’s Super League, in the hope of finding a late goal. Alessia Russo, meanwhile, spent the game feeding off scraps.

Wiegman refuted Ian Wright’s claim on ITV that England had been happy to settle for a 0-0 draw, insisting they had gone for the win as much as their opponents. But it was undeniable that her team lacked a spark. Jess Naz, who was making only her second start in an England shirt, worked hard out of possession but found it difficult to test an experienced US defence. Jess Park also saw plenty of the ball but could not find an end product.

It is clear how vital Hemp is to England’s attack while James, who has not played since April, would also have offered something different. Perhaps the biggest problem is the lack of depth in the No 9 role. There was certain irony that this was the game at which Rachel Daly was honoured after retiring from international football in April. Despite being a striker by trade, Daly became a utility player for England and often filled in at left-back. There is an argument to say she could still offer this team something as a back-up to Russo, who has little competition for her starting place.

As poor as England were in attack, keeping a clean sheet against the Olympic champions is not to be sniffed at, even if they were missing their ‘Triple Espresso’ of Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson and Trinity Rodman.

Perhaps Wiegman’s most intriguing selection was Alex Greenwood being given the nod over Millie Bright to partner Williamson, the captain, at centre-back. Greenwood, who was a standout performer during England’s run to the World Cup final, has found it difficult to dislodge Bright and Williamson from the starting XI since both returned from long-term injuries earlier this year. The presence of a left-footed player, as opposed to the four right-footers Wiegman had started against Germany, undoubtedly gave England more balance across their back-line.

“Our defence was solid,” Wiegman said. “We were really defending as a team, very strong. They challenged us at moments on the sides but we solved that well. They were dangerous at moments but we defended pretty good.”

Greenwood was adjudged to have blocked Yazmeen Ryan’s shot with her arm, with a penalty awarded. Replays showed the ball had in fact hit the defender’s chest and referee Lina Lehtovaara overturned her decision after a pitch-side review. Shortly before that, Lindsey Horan had seen her close-range finish ruled out for offside.

While both calls were correct, a goal would undoubtedly have livened up a match that will be quickly forgotten. England’s game against Switzerland on Tuesday is the last of the four friendlies they scheduled for this period, sandwiched between Euro 2025 qualification and the start of next year’s Nations League tournament. Wiegman said these games were about trying out new things and experimenting, but it feels we have seen little of that. If England and Wiegman want to retain their European title next summer, there is work to do.

Match details

England (4-3-3) Earps 7; Bronze 6, Williamson 6, Greenwood 6, Carter 7; Walsh 6, Stanway, 6 Park 6 (Kirby 75); Mead 5, Russo 5, Naz 5 (Kelly 75).
Booked Kelly.
Subs not used Hampton (g), Moorhouse (g), Morgan, Bright, Turner, Clinton, Beever-Jones, George, Mace, Blindkilde-Brown.
United States (4-2-3-1) Naeher 6; Fox 6, Sonnett 6, Girma 7, Krueger 6; Lavelle 7, Coffey 6; Thompson 6 (Albert 73), Horan 6, Williams 6 (Shaw 73); Sears 5 (Ryan h-t).
Booked Coffey,
Subs not used Haught (g), Sams, Nighswonger, Sentnor, Yohannes, Davidson, Malonson, Hershfelt, Gaetino.
Referee Lina Lehtovaara.
Attendance 78,346.

07:48 PM GMT

Emma Hayes talks to ITV Sport

07:34 PM GMT

Mary Earps’ verdict

07:27 PM GMT

Sarina Wiegman’s reaction

07:20 PM GMT

Record crowd at Wembley

The official attendance of 78,346 is the highest for a women’s international friendly.

07:16 PM GMT

FT: England 0-0 USA

An honourable draw at Wembley. The US were the better team but there were some real positives for England, not least the success of their rejigged defence. It would have been unthinkable a year ago but Millie Bright may struggle to get her place back.

The other positives: Mary Earps had her swagger back in goal; Jess Park hogged the ball like it was her own, in a good rather than indulgent way; and Lucy Bronze was a force of nature on the right. On the down side, England’s attack never really got going and Alyssa Naeher had only one exceptionally simple save to make.

07:13 PM GMT

90+4 min: Eng 0-0 USA

Kelly is rightly booked for wiping out Krueger near the touchline. It was more of a high-speed barge than a bad tackle, but it still wasn’t great.

07:10 PM GMT

90 min: Eng 0-0 USA

Kelly runs at Krueger to win a corner, then works a clever short one to release Kirby near the byline on the right. Her driven cross is cut out at the near post.

07:07 PM GMT

88 min: Eng 0-0 USA

USA substitution Ally Sentnor, aged 20, comes on for her international debut in place of Lindsey Horan.

07:05 PM GMT

86 min: Eng 0-0 USA

It’s all USA now. Fox gets away in the area and slides a low ball across the face of goal. There’s nobody there in a blue shirt and Carter stretches to poke the ball back to Earps. It wasn’t a deliberate back pass so Earps can pick the ball up and give England a breather.

07:04 PM GMT

84 min: Eng 0-0 USA

Ryan, who has been electric since coming on at half-time, steals possession high up the field, veers to the right and then runs at Carter. Eventually Ryan’s cross takes a slight but important touch off Carter and is held by Earps.

07:01 PM GMT

82 min: Eng 0-0 USA

Suddenly England are hanging on. Shaw releases the jet-heeled Lavelle, who stabs an outside-of-the-foot ball across the face of goal that takes Earps out of the game. Williamson gets to it first at the far post and turns it behind for a corner.

07:00 PM GMT

81 min: Eng 0-0 USA

The corner is half cleared by England. Girma loops a speculative pass over the outrushing defence towards Shaw, who cushions a volley across the face of goal. It’s a dangerous ball but an England defender gets there first to clear.

Moments later a flat driven cross from the right is claimed with total authority by Earps, two hands high above her head. She had to make that because Horan was waiting behind her. Earps has been world-class tonight, not just the saves but also the certainty with which she has handled crosses and corners.

06:58 PM GMT

79 min: Eng 0-0 USA

Lavelle strides elegantly through midfield, beating Greenwood with ease, and pokes a pass down the inside-right channel to find Shaw. Her cross is put behind by the excellent Carter.

06:57 PM GMT

78 min: Eng 0-0 USA

Greenwood makes a vital interception to stop Lavelle getting onto a through pass. She read that superbly and came across from left-back to clear.

06:54 PM GMT

76 min: Eng 0-0 USA

Mead’s curling cross-shot from the left edge of the area teases the diving Naeher and goes a few yards wide of the far post.

06:53 PM GMT

75 min: Eng 0-0 USA

Double substitution for England Chloe Kelly, who gets a great hand as always, and Fran Kirby replace Jess Park and Jessica Naz. Park was excellent, Naz peripheral.

06:52 PM GMT

74 min: Eng 0-0 USA

We talked pre-match about who would win the tactical battle and the US started this half with a fresh energy about them with the introduction of Yazmeen Ryan. The US striker is proving a handful for Alex Greenwood and Lindsey Horan’s disallowed goal has been a bit of a wake-up call. The Lionesses have had their heads up since Leah Williamson’s header from a corner - the hosts first effort on target - and Alessia Russo is beginning to make her presence felt. Can’t call which way this one is going..

06:51 PM GMT

73 min: Eng 0-0 USA

Substitutions for USA Korbin Albert and Jaedyn Shaw replace Lynn Williams and Alyssa Thompson.

06:50 PM GMT

71 min: Eng 0-0 USA

England haven’t been able to regain the attacking momentum they had before that penalty incident. But they’re still in the game, which looked unlikely when they barely crossed the halfway line in the first 10 minutes of the second half.

06:45 PM GMT

67 min: Eng 0-0 USA

No penalty! It took longer than it should have done but it’s the right decision in the end.

It wasn’t a bizarre decision though, just an honest mistake from one of the best referees in the world.

06:45 PM GMT

66 min: Eng 0-0 USA

VAR check! The referee is running over to the screen. If this isn’t overturned, we might as well all pack up and go home.

06:44 PM GMT

64 min: Eng 0-0 USA

Penalty to USA! This will surely be overturned by VAR. Ryan whacked a shot straight into the stomach of Greenwood, with the ball then deflecting onto her arm. She couldn’t believe a penalty was given.

06:40 PM GMT

62 min: Eng 0-0 USA

England are having their best spell of the match, never mind the half, with Jess Park involved in almost everything good. Park is a really interesting option for this team, not dissimilar to Fran Kirby in style: intelligent movement, excellent awareness and passing, loads of touches. She’s just a very classy footballer.

06:39 PM GMT

60 min: Eng 0-0 USA

Chance for England! An outstanding deep cross from Bronze is shanked back into a dangerous area by Fox, who was trying to volley it behind for a corner. Russo collects, holds off Fox and hits a shot on the turn that is blocked by Sonnett on the six-yard line.

06:36 PM GMT

57 min: England 0-0 USA

Suddenly England are having a good spell. Stanway dummies to shoot on the edge of the area, lifts the ball away from Horan and hits an excellent shot across goal that is headed behind by Sonnett (I think). The first replay suggests Stanway’s shot would have taken a deal of saving.

06:34 PM GMT

55 min: Eng 0-0 USA

England’s first good attack of the second half leads to their first attempt on target in the whole game. Park’s cross is put behind for a corner, which is swung in and headed towards goal by Williamson. Naeher makes an easy save.

06:33 PM GMT

53 min: Eng 0-0 USA

Fine defending by Williamson! Lavelle releases the electric Ryan on the right side of the area. She should probably shoot but instead tries to give the ball to Horan with a low ball across the face of goal. Williamson gets in front of Horan in the six-yard box to bundle the ball behind for a corner.

06:31 PM GMT

53 min: Eng 0-0 USA

Chance for USA! Horan throws her hands in frustration after driving a cross shot wide of the far post. The angle was tight but it was still a decent opportunity.

06:30 PM GMT

52 min: Eng 0-0 USA

It’s been a dominant start to the second half from the US, so much so that I can’t remember the last time the Lionesses crossed the halfway line.

06:30 PM GMT

51 min: Eng 0-0 USA

Ryan’s curling cross shot is pushed away by the diving Earps. The save was comfortable; the hard part was getting enough on the ball to push it away from danger.

06:28 PM GMT

49 min: Eng 0-0 USA

Disallowed goal for the USA! Ryan spins Braonze superbly and slides a penetrative through pass to Lavelle in the area. She curls a first-time shot that is going wide of the far post until Horan, palpably offside, stretches to volley it into the net.

It was a decent chance for Lavelle in the first place and a majestic bit of play from the substitute Ryan.

06:24 PM GMT

46 min: Eng 0-0 USA

We’re off again. The USA have brought on Yazmeen Ryan for Emma Sears.

06:13 PM GMT

Half-time verdict

It hasn’t exactly been end-to-end stuff, has it? As is the case when two titans lock horns, it’s been a bit like watching a game of chess. The US have been the better side and have been effective in stifling the Lionesses of possession – the hosts have sprung a couple of counter attacks through Jess Park but they haven’t yet found their groove in the final third of the field. That they have not yet had a shot on target is a concern.

Sarina Wiegman is someone who trusts her side to execute their gameplan, but will she tinker with her side after the break? While the Lionesses’ have looked controlled and well organised for the most part, they have been lacking that extra spark. Mary Earps has denied Alyssa Thompson and Casey Krueger, but at the other end, Jess Naz and Alessia Russo have barely been noticeable.

06:10 PM GMT

HT: ENG 0-0 USA

The end of a largely uneventful first half at Wembley. The USWNT were the better side in possession, smoother and more relaxed, but they didn’t create many clear chances. Mary Earps had to make one good save and one superb one.

At the other end Alyssa Naeher barely touched the ball. England were not terrible, just a little nervous in possession. Some of their attacking players look short on confidence.

06:05 PM GMT

45 min: Eng 0-0 USA

The Lionesses are giving the US far too much space, which will be of concern to Wiegman. That was a shaky moment for Leah Williamson, whose aimless pass was gobbled up by Lindsey Horan to ignite an American attack as the hosts scrambled back. The Lionesses captain has endured an up-and-down season so far, having been at fault for one of Germany’s goals here last month. With the US winning the possession game, the atmosphere inside Wembley has fallen rather flat.

06:05 PM GMT

44 min: Eng 0-0 USA

Coffey’s crisp shot from the edge of the area is straight at Earps, who holds on comfortably. Earps, Park and Carter have probably been England’s most impressive players in the first half.

06:05 PM GMT

43 min: Eng 0-0 USA

A dangerous long ball tests the pace of Carter, who is up to the job. She’s had a strong first half playing as the left-sided centre-back.

06:03 PM GMT

40 min: Eng 0-0 USA

The US are having a good spell as half-time approaches, pinning England back with some assertive passing and pressing. They’ve certainly been the better team in the first half.

05:59 PM GMT

36 min: Eng 0-0 USA

Park, who has probably been England’s brightest attacker, almost puts Russo clear with a short through ball that is well cut out by Girma. Park telegraphed it a little but it was still good defending.

05:54 PM GMT

32 min: Eng 0-0 USA

Good save by Earps! Thompson’s low pass across the area is blocked by Bronze, with the ball deflecting towards Krueger on the edge of the area. She cracks a first-time shot across goal that is pushed away by Earps, diving low to her left, and a couple of England defenders ensure Sears can’t get to the rebound.

05:52 PM GMT

31 min: Eng 0-0 USA

Jess Park is seeing a lot of the ball at the moment. Twice the Manchester City midfielder has found herself in a central position on the edge of the area but has rushed it a bit. She was involved in a well-worked move as the Lionesses played it out from the back after Earps opted not to hoof it downfield, which is quite unconventional for the Lionesses.

Park is still raw as a player but a statement performance tonight could really consolidate her position in Wiegman’s starting side. She surges forward with the directness that Lauren Hemp is so good at providing.

05:51 PM GMT

30 min: Eng 0-0 USA

Lavelle’s floated free-kick is allowed to bounce and reaches Girma beyond the far post. She pokes a cross that is desperately cleared by an England defender in the six-yard box; not sure who it was but they may have saved a goal.

05:48 PM GMT

27 min: Eng 0-0 USA

Carter bullets a crossfield pass out to Bronze, who charges back infield and tries to find Mead with an angled through pass. It’s slightly underhit and Fox is able to intercept on the edge of the area. But that was another promising move from England.

05:46 PM GMT

25 min: Eng 0-0 USA

England are growing into the game after an uncomfortable of around 10 minutes in which the USA dominated possession. It’s an intriguing game but not yet an exciting one. A goal would change that, in more ways than one.

05:43 PM GMT

23 min: Eng 0-0 USA

Greenwood’s free-kick is slightly overhit - that’s unlike her - and evades the stretching Bronze at the far post.

05:43 PM GMT

21 min: Eng 0-0 USA

A promising move from England, sparked by a neat little one-two involving Park and Mead, ends with Bronze being fouled just outside of the area on the right.

05:38 PM GMT

17 min: Eng 0-0 USA

A promising attack from England, sparked by a really good crossfield pass from Russo to Mead, ends with Park curling well wide from 20 yards.

05:36 PM GMT

15 min: Eng 0-0 USA

Sam Coffey is booked for a tactical foul on Russo.

05:36 PM GMT

14 min: Eng 0-0 USA

Less than a quarter of an hour played and Sarina Wiegman and Emma Hayes already look quite animated on the touchline, barking messages at their players. Both hauled a couple of their personnel over for some instructions while there was a pause in play after Lindsey Horan took some contact in a tackle. So far Casey Krueger is winning the physical battle with Jessica Naz. Twice the Spurs forward has been robbed of possession by the American left back.

05:35 PM GMT

13 min: Eng 0-0 USA

Horan pokes a clever pass inside Bronze towards Thompson on the left side of the area. Bronze recovers to make an important lunging tackle at the expense of a corner.

The corner is half cleared to Fox, who moves elegantly away from Naz on the right and gets to the byline. Eventually her cross is cut out.

05:33 PM GMT

12 min: Eng 0-0 USA

Aside from that chance for Thompson it’s ben a cagey start. USA look the smoother side but there’s not much in it.

05:29 PM GMT

8 min: Eng 0 USA 0

Naz escapes down the right, only for the much-hyped Girma to show a frightening turn of pace and win the ball back. That was extremely impressive, not least because she looked as if she was running in second gear.

05:28 PM GMT

5 min: Eng 0 USA 0

Lovely save by Earps! Sears runs at Greenwood in the area and drives a low chance that reaches Thompson beyond the far post. She moves back inside and hits a good shot that is fingertipped round the post by Earps, diving to her left. That’s a fine save because she probably saw it late.

Carter would probably have headed Thompson’s shot off the line but that doesn’t change the quality of Earps’ save.

05:23 PM GMT

2 min: Eng 0 USA 0

England have started with Beth Mead on the left and Jessica Naz on the right, though you’d imagine they’ll switch wings as the game progresses. Jess Carter is at centre-back, as expected, with Alex Greenwood on the left.

05:21 PM GMT

1 min: Eng 0 USA 0

After the players take a knee, England kick off from right to left as we watch.

05:14 PM GMT

Five minutes to kick off

Let’s have a reminder of the teams who will soon enter the field of play.

Lionesses (possible 4-3-3) Earps; Bronze, Williamson, Carter, Greenwood; Stanway, Walsh, Park; Naz, Russo, Mead.

Substitutes: Moorhouse, Hampton, Bright, Turner, George, Morgan, Kirby, Mace, Blindkilde, Clinton, Kelly, Beever-Jones.

USWNT (possible 4-3-3) Naeher; Fox, Sonnett, Girma, Krueger; Lavelle, Coffey, Horan; Williams, Sears, Thompson.

Substitutes: Haught, Davidson, Gaetino, Malonson, Sams, Albert, Yohannes, Nighswonger, Ryan, Hershfelt, Shaw, Sentnor.

05:05 PM GMT

What’s the collective noun for elite coaches?

05:02 PM GMT

Sarina Wiegman’s pre-match thoughts

[On the omission of Millie Bright] It was a very hard decision. These five defenders [Bronze, Williamson, Greenwood, Bright and Carter] have played a lot together and today I chose these four to start. I thought it was the best combination for what we want to do in the game. We have some little tweaks that we want to see.

[On Jess Naz and Jess Park] It’s their first time in front of a sold-out Wembley. They took the oppoertunity really well in the previous game and I hope they show their qualities again.

[On Mary Earps being picked ahead of Hannah Hampton] These two are competing very closely and I don’t want to make a decision now [on who is No1]. I want to see them both for their clubs and in these games. Last time at Wembley it was Hannah and today Mary gets her opportunity.

[On coming up against her friend Emma Hayes] In the last few years we’ve been collaborating and now we are against each other. She’s doing a tremendous job over there. But when we playing against each other of course we want to win. We know she’ll make tactical tweaks during the game so we must be sharp.

04:48 PM GMT

Four changes for England

Sarina Wiegman has made four changes to the England side who beat South Africa in October. Alex Greenwood gets the nod over Millie Bright and could pivot to left-back rather than be deployed more centrally, while Tottenham striker Jessica Naz is handed a rare start after being preferred to Chloe Kelly. Manchester City midfielder Jess Park is also chosen over Grace Clinton, which is somewhat of a surprise given how well the latter performed against South Africa and Germany.

Meanwhile, Emma Hayes makes seven changes to the USA team who beat Argentina last month. The Olympic champions are without their star attacking trio of Trinity Rodman, Mallory Swanson and Sophia Smith, known as the ‘Triple Espresso’. But on paper, it’s still a strong team, which features dynamic Arsenal defender Emily Fox, captain Lindsey Horan and centre-back Naomi Girma.

04:44 PM GMT

Emma Hayes talks to ITV Sport

It’s great to be back. Hopefully I can show everything I learned from ITV in tonight’s game!

I feel a bit bad talking about how happy I am. It’s not to take anything away from [her time at Chelsea] but I had to slow down a bit and have more quality time. For that reason I’m really enjoying it. Also playing different opponents in different stadiums; it feels new and exciting.

[On not being with her players all the time as she was at Chelsea] You feel a little bit like a grandparent! They come into camp, they’re all happy to see you, you give them the best time ever, you hopefully win a couple of medals and then send them back to their clubs. It’s a completely different way of coaching. But when they’re here, you can waste any time. It has to be quality, it has to be intentional.

[On her team selection] We’ve had to go very in the wide areas so I wanted us to have experience in some key areas.

[On the young defender Naomi Girma] She’s got everything in her locker to go on and do incredible things in the game.

04:40 PM GMT

A timely barometer for the Lionesses

Facing the Olympic champions will be a good barometer for the Lionesses ahead of the defence of their European title in Switzerland next summer. No one is under any illusions that this will be easy for England; in the matchday programme, Sarina Wiegman acknowledges - perhaps with a faint hint of defeatism - that her side will not always get things right and stresses the importance of taking learnings from this date with the USA.

With Emma Hayes’ homecoming dominating the pre-match build up, it’s almost as if Wiegman is trying to take some of the hype out of this glorified friendly.

04:29 PM GMT

USWNT team news

04:26 PM GMT

Lionesses team news

Jess Park and Jessica Naz start in a strong-looking Lionesses side that also includes Mary Earps in goal. There’s no place for Chloe Kelly, who has been struggling to get game time at Manchester City.

04:23 PM GMT

Good evening

Hello and welcome to live coverage of the Lionesses v the USWNT Wembley. The match programme says it’s an international friendly but it has a status and significance beyond that. This is about as big as it gets: the European champions v the Olympic champions and a meeting of the top two in the Fifa rankings. (Spain, the actual world champions, are in third.)

The biggest of several narratives is the return to England of the remarkable Emma Hayes, who won seven league titles with Chelsea and is now walking on the Atlantic Ocean rather than the English channel.

“It’s fair to say both countries are committed to women’s sport and developing the women’s game,” she said this week. “I think we need to celebrate how far we’ve come too, and having 80,000 paying fans to watch a great match-up is again not just a sign of progress but shows that the Lionesses are sustaining a lot and being able to play at Wembley so often. So celebrate both countries, celebrate the work that’s being done, as opposed to pick it apart.”

Both teams are without key attacking players – Lauren Hemp, Lauren James and Ella Toone for England, Trinity Rodman, Mallory Swanson and Sophia Smith for the USA – but the depth of both squads is such that this should still be a high-class contest. It feels like a bigger game for England, whose defence of the European Championship is only seven months away.

“We want to try out new things, we want to experiment,” said their coach Sarina Wiegman. “We’re not going to get everything right but it’s so important in the games against the US and Switzerland to figure out things and to see players. That gives us so much information. We will play to win – we always do – but at the same time we’re experimenting and if we get things out of that, then for me it’s successful.”

Kick off 5.20pm.