England ratings as Mary Earps and Chloe Kelly stand out in lacklustre opener

Posted Wednesday, July 26, 2023 by PA

MARY EARPS: She again delivered in the crunch moments. After she thwarted Melchie Dumornay with a fine stop at the beginning of the second half, the Manchester United goalkeeper brilliantly stuck out a boot to deny Roseline Eloissaint one-on-one late on to secure England the points. 8 (out of 10).

LUCY BRONZE: The World Cup veteran helped win the penalty which earned England victory and got forward well while also being solid in defence. 7.

MILLIE BRIGHT: A rusty display from the stand-in skipper who recovered from knee surgery to start this opener. Some sloppy moments went unpunished early on and while she did improve, she should have scored a volleyed effort in the second half. 5.

JESS CARTER: A composed showing by the Chelsea defender on her maiden World Cup appearance. She was tidy in possession at the heart of England’s back four and made a crucial late tackle on the excellent Dumornay. 7.

ALEX GREENWOOD: Played in her favoured left-back position, the Manchester City ace was influential, especially in the first half where she should have claimed an assist for a superb cross in to Alessia Russo. 7.

GEORGIA STANWAY: Eventful night for the Bayern Munich midfielder, but she ended up being England’s match-winner with her second penalty attempt able to find the bottom corner. She had her first spot-kick effort saved and was also booked in the first half during a typically tireless showing. 7.

KEIRA WALSH: An impressive second half after largely being bypassed during the first 45 in Brisbane with England’s tactic to quickly move play out wide. Her influence grew and she was combative in the centre of the pitch. 7.

ELLA TOONE: Like with Walsh, struggled to affect the match during the first half but played her part and late link-up play to create an opportunity for Stanway provided a glimpse of what is to come with this midfield three. 5.

CHLOE KELLY: The Euro 2022 heroine was a constant threat against Haiti and was unlucky not to win an early penalty for a high challenge on her shin. In addition to sending several dangerous deliveries into the area, the Manchester City attacker tested Kerly Theus on a number of occasions. 8.

LAUREN HEMP: A solid debut World Cup appearance for the Manchester City attacker, who produced plenty of tantalising crosses in the first half, but should have done better with a late chance herself. Booked for a rash tackle. 6.

ALESSIA RUSSO: A mixed evening for the Arsenal forward after she saw her foul deny England an early penalty before she squandered some excellent chances. She did test the goalkeeper with five of her six shots, but the one effort off target – a free header – should have resulted in a goal. 6.

SUBSTITUTES

LAUREN JAMES (for Hemp, 61): A bright cameo for the talented Chelsea youngster, who set up a chance straight after her introduction before a trademark mazy run ended in a blocked cross. 6.

RACHEL DALY (for Russo, 76): Little time to influence proceedings, but she did force a late save with a header and can expect to have a key role to play in this tournament. 5.