Home » Karen Carney praises Mary Earps despite sitting out final Lionesses game

Karen Carney praises Mary Earps despite sitting out final Lionesses game

by Zoe Hodges

The England Lionesses played their last game of the year tonight as they faced Norway in an international friendly in Spain.

Mary Earps has cemented herself as England’s number one over the past year, and her heroics at the Euro in the Summer have made her a legend amongst the fans.

However, she sat on the bench tonight as Sarina Wiegman rotated the squad to see what other players could do.

England took the lead in the first half as Rachel Daly got herself on the scoresheet but deep into the second half, Norway equalised after a mistake by Ellie Roebuck.

As she came out of her area to clear the ball, she took her eyes off it and completely missed it, allowing Norway to equalise.

At the end of the game, Karen Carney, who sat alongside Ian Wright in the studio, said it highlighted just how good Mary Earps is.

She said, “I think it shows how far Mary Earps has come. Mistakes like that show why Mary is by far our number one.”

Under Phil Neville’s leadership, the City keeper, Roebuck, was England’s number one, with Earps struggling to get a game.

Eventually, Earps was dropped from the England squad, and she thought her international career was over.

Wiegman saw something in the United shot-stopper and recalled her. Her hard work with the England coaches allowed her to excel and become the first name on the team sheet.

Earps was integral to that Lionesses squad, as she made world-class saves.

She has shown why she’s England’s number one without even starting tonight.

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