Beever-Jones hits rapid hat-trick as England pummel Portugal 6-0 in Nations League
It doesn't matter how you get your chance to shine, what matters is you take it, and on Friday night at a balmy Wembley Stadium Chelsea forward Aggie Beever-Jones did just that in a 6-0 defeat of Portugal.
Alessia Russo has nailed down the No 9 shirt following the retirement of Ellen White after the Euros in 2022, but a fitting substitute and challenger to her has been missing. Beever-Jones staked her claim in front of 48,531 fans, her hat-trick in a five-goal first-half blitz coming in only her second England start.
It was a heartening win for the Lionesses as they focus all eyes on the Nations League and this summer's Euros in Switzerland. It also keeps England two points behind Spain in Nations League Group A3 before the rivals go head to head on Tuesday.
Sarina Wiegman's England ship, so used to sailing under clear skies, hit choppier water this week, the retirement announcement of Euro 2022 winner Mary Earps, just 39 days out from the team beginning their title defence, sending shockwaves through St George's Park.
Wiegman implied in April that Hannah Hampton had leapfrogged Earps in the pecking order, when she described the Chelsea goalkeeper as being 'a little bit ahead'. It was hoped that Earps would act as the elder stateswoman of a group of young keepers and provide substantial backup to Hampton, with Anna Moorhouse and Khiara Keating currently uncapped.
Earps' exit is undoubtedly a blow, as was the absence of Millie Bright, unavailable through choice for being 'mentally and physically at my limits'. However, nothing buries bad news as well as good news and an emphatic win over Portugal, with five first-half goals from a starting XI looking a little different from how it will shape up in Switzerland.
Spain, who beat Belgium 5-1 on Friday night, will offer a far greater test in Barcelona of where England are before their European title defence but, on the evidence here, the squad depth at Wiegman's disposal is a major advantage.
It took just three minutes for Beever-Jones to put the home team ahead. Jess Park's dogged pressure on Andreia Norton forced the ball free from the feet of the wing-back and Beever-Jones pounced, putting it coolly beyond goalkeeper Inês Pereira.
Two minutes later and England had their second. Jess Carter, fresh from a Concacaf Champions Cup win with Gotham FC, won the ball and fed Lauren Hemp on the left and it was worked from Beever-Jones to Mead. Her shot was blocked but the ball fell to Lucy Bronze, who headed into an empty net.
Beever-Jones' second arrived courtesy of Bronze, the latter's cross into the middle turned in by the head of the unmarked forward. Mead joined the party for England's fourth. Park shrugged off Dolores Silva before releasing the Arsenal forward, who nutmegged Catarina Amado and fired in.
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Beever-Jones's hat-trick was completed in the 33rd minute, making her the second England women's player to score a Wembley treble after Mead. A long ball from Leah Williamson, one of five of Arsenal's Champions League winners in the squad, alongside Mead, Lotte Wubben-Moy, Alessia Russo and Chloe Kelly, found the forward, who took a couple of touches before firing in low at the near post.
It would be easy, and a little lazy, to describe Portugal, ranked 22 in Fifa's world rankings, as pushovers. They were poor defensively but this is a team who have been a small thorn in the side of Wiegman's England side. The Lionesses were held to a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture in February and a 0-0 draw in a friendly on the eve of the World Cup in July 2023. In fact, England's last victory against the Portuguese came towards the end of Phil Neville's tenure, a sloppy 1-0 win amid a sea of draws and defeats in October 2019.
England calmed down a little in the second half, but three changes around the hour re-energised the players, who have clawed their way to the end of a long season only to be straight back in with their national team. Kelly added the team's sixth, fellow substitute Alex Greenwood sending a pinpoint pass from back to front to Mead, whose cross was headed home.
There were no more goals but it was an emphatic and entertaining performance, the off-pitch drama comfortably excluded to leave England focused on preparing for the Euros.
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A corporate manslaughter investigation is also ongoing, as is now a gross negligence manslaughter one. The CCRC receives 1,500-1,600 cases each year, referring around 30 back to the Court of Appeal. The Law Commission is currently consulting on whether the 'real possibility' legal test that the CCRC currently applies should be changed to reflect the body's own view of whether a conviction might be unsafe, rather than having to predict what the Court of Appeal might think. Katie added: 'A change in the legal test might result in the CCRC broadening the focus of its investigations and being able to refer more cases to the Court of Appeal to review.' Even if the CCRC decides to refer Letby's case following the 14-strong panel's findings, the complexity of the case means it could take years, according to legal experts. Meanwhile, lawyers for the families of Letby's victims rubbished the report, claiming it's "full of analytical holes" and "a rehash" of the defence case heard at trial. Detective Superintendent Paul Hughes, of Cheshire Police, also hit back at 'ill-informed and insensitive' critics questioning her guilt. In a strongly worded statement, he insisted the former nurse's case had been 'rigorously and fairly tested' by two juries and two sets of appeal court judges after a painstaking six-year police investigation. Referring to the victims' families, he added: 'Their dignity and composure in the face of intense public discussions with little sensitivity or humanity is remarkable. 'Their words are incredibly honest and powerful and must not be lost in a sea of noise.' Undeterred 9 9 In November, Lady Justice Thirlwall is due to publish the findings from the public inquiry into how the former nurse was able to commit her crimes. Cheshire Constabulary is continuing a review of deaths and non-fatal collapses of babies at the neonatal units of the Countess of Chester Hospital and the Liverpool Women's Hospital during Letby's time as a nurse from 2012 to 2016. But Letby's supporters seem far from deterred and even threw a party to celebrate her 35th birthday at a pub in Clapham, south London. They filled the public gallery during her trial and protested outside Manchester crown court, wearing yellow butterfly badges to match one seen in a photo of Letby in scrubs. Every December since her conviction in 2023, they have sent her Christmas cards in prison. But, even if there are flaws in the prosecution, it will be a long time before they can celebrate a fresh appeal. The charges Letby was convicted on in full Child A, allegation of murder. The Crown said Letby injected air intravenously into the bloodstream of the baby boy. COUNT 1 GUILTY. Child B, allegation of attempted murder. The Crown said Letby attempted to murder the baby girl, the twin sister of Child A, by injecting air into her bloodstream. COUNT 2 GUILTY. Child C, allegation of murder. Prosecutors said Letby forced air down a feeding tube and into the stomach of the baby boy. COUNT 3 GUILTY. Child D, allegation of murder. The Crown said air was injected intravenously into the baby girl. COUNT 4 GUILTY. Child E, allegation of murder. The Crown said Letby murdered the twin baby boy with an injection of air into the bloodstream and also deliberately caused bleeding to the infant. COUNT 5 GUILTY. Child F, allegation of attempted murder. Letby was said by prosecutors to have poisoned the twin brother of Child E with insulin. COUNT 6 GUILTY. Child G, three allegations of attempted murder. The Crown said Letby targeted the baby girl by overfeeding her with milk and pushing air down her feeding tube. COUNT 7 GUILTY, COUNT 8 GUILTY, COUNT 9 NOT GUILTY. Child H, two allegations of attempted murder. Prosecutors said Letby sabotaged the care of the baby girl in some way which led to two profound oxygen desaturations. COUNT 10 NOT GUILTY, COUNT 11 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT. Child I, allegation of murder. The prosecution said Letby killed the baby girl at the fourth attempt and had given her air and overfed her with milk. COUNT 12 GUILTY. Child J, allegation of attempted murder. No specific form of harm was identified by the prosecution but they said Letby did something to cause the collapse of the baby girl. COUNT 13 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT. Child K, allegation of attempted murder. The prosecution said Letby compromised the baby girl as she deliberately dislodged a breathing tube. COUNT 14 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT. Child L, allegation of attempted murder. The Crown said the nurse poisoned the twin baby boy with insulin. COUNT 15 GUILTY. Child M, allegation of attempted murder. Prosecutors said Letby injected air into the bloodstream of Child L's twin brother. COUNT 16 GUILTY. Child N, three allegations of attempted murder. The Crown said Letby inflicted trauma in the baby boy's throat and also injected him with air in the bloodstream. COUNT 17 GUILTY, COUNT 18 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT, COUNT 19 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT. Child O, allegation of murder. Prosecutors say Letby attacked the triplet boy by injecting him with air, overfeeding him with milk and inflicting trauma to his liver with "severe force". COUNT 20 GUILTY. Child P, allegation of murder. Prosecutors said the nurse targeted the triplet brother of Child O by overfeeding him with milk, injecting air and dislodging his breathing tube. COUNT 21 GUILTY. Child Q, allegation of attempted murder. The Crown said Letby injected the baby boy with liquid, and possibly air, down his feeding tube. COUNT 22 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT.
