For all the hype and excitement, Emma Hayes' return to England as the Lionesses faced her United States women's national team on Saturday night ended in a disappointingly uneventful 0-0 draw, one particularly underwhelming for the majority of the 78,346 inside Wembley Stadium. This was the biggest home crowd the reigning European champions had played in front of for over 18 months and yet, they had very little to shout about.
Instead, it was Mary Earps who stole the show, forced into a string of strong saves in a first half that saw England fail to create any chance of note. First from Alyssa Thompson and then from Casey Krueger, Earps stood tall to keep her team in a game they were struggling to make any positive impact on.
That improved a little after the break, albeit not dramatically, with visiting goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher only having to make one perfectly-routine stop all evening. England may have had stars missing for this big game, with Lauren Hemp, Lauren James and Ella Toone all sidelined, but that will struggle to stand up as an excuse for such a toothless performance when contrasted with the brighter moments the U.S. had, despite Hayes being without all of Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman and Mallory Swanson.
GOAL rates the Lionesses' players from Wembley Stadium...