England women's player ratings vs Spain: Advantage Lionesses! Lauren Hemp's strike gives European champions the World Cup qualifying upper hand in another win over La Roja

Lauren Hemp's early strike gave England yet another win over Spain on Tuesday night, the Lionesses emerging 1-0 victors in their first meeting with La Roja since last summer's European Championship final. England were winners on that occasion, on penalties, and they came out on top again here as their third victory in their last four encounters with the world champions gave them a notable advantage in a cut-throat World Cup qualifying group.

Only the group winners will qualify automatically for next summer's tournament in Brazil, with the rest having to navigate the play-offs, and with Ukraine and Iceland the other two sides in this group, it's likely that top spot will be decided by the two meetings between England and Spain. This was the first of them and it was the Lionesses who took the early lead in it when Hemp improvised brilliantly to acrobatically fire the ball just over the line despite the best efforts of Cata Coll and Alexia Putellas. With just three minutes on the clock, it was the earliest goal scored by Sarina Wiegman's side at the new Wembley Stadium.

England had chances to add to that lead, too. Lauren James fired over after beating Ona Batlle with ease and Hemp hit the post after a lovely backheel from Lucy Bronze as Spain took time to get going. The world champions were without Aitana Bonmati, who has been out since November with a broken leg, but it was a surprise that they did not carry more of a threat given the likes of Alexia Putellas and Mariona Caldentey were involved, though credit does also have to go to a solid Lionesses defence that coped well without captain Leah Williamson.

After the break, the game was much more open and chances flowed. Olga Carmona and Vicky Lopez both hit the woodwork for Spain, while Lucia Kendall sent a big opportunity over the bar at the other end before Alessia Russo missed the target after breaking through one-on-one. It felt sure that there would be another goal, with Spain piling on the pressure late on to try to make sure that was the case with a late equaliser. But England stood tall, with Hannah Hampton making an outstanding save in the last minute to deny Edna Imade a leveller.

That preserved a vital clean sheet and a huge win for the Lionesses, who now go three points clear at the top of the group. There are still three games for both sides to play, including a meeting between these two to come in Spain, but Wiegman's side have put themselves in an excellent position at the halfway point when it comes to qualifying for next summer's World Cup as efficiently as possible.

GOAL rates England's players from Wembley Stadium...

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Goalkeeper & Defence
Hannah Hampton (7/10):
Distribution was iffy in the first half and that put England under unnecessary pressure at times, but those errors did go unpunished and she improved in the second half, making a great intervention to stop Lopez near the halfway line and an outstanding save to deny Imade in the final moments.
Lucy Bronze (8/10):
Excellent up and down the right all game. Supported the attack brilliantly and was a real asset in Spain's box, while never leaving the defence too exposed.
Lotte Wubben-Moy (8/10):
Carried her excellent club form into this game with a solid performance in a rare start in a huge match. Earned her chance and took it.
Esme Morgan (8/10):
Likewise, she was faultless in the heart of defence, working well with Wubben-Moy to neutralise Gonzalez and ensure the high-profile absence of Williamson wasn't felt.
Alex Greenwood (7/10):
Looked a little hesitant and uncertain on occasion but generally dealt well with the lively Lopez.

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Midfield
Keira Walsh (8/10):
Winning her 100th cap, she did brilliantly to ensure Spain's world-class midfield couldn't settle into the sort of devastatingly good rhythm that would've put England under serious pressure.
Georgia Stanway (7/10):
Covered tons of ground and got through so much hard work to play her part in neutralising the Spain midfield.
Lucia Kendall (7/10):
A huge opportunity for the young midfielder and she didn't look out of place in the biggest game of her career to date. Battled brilliantly, pressed well and could've marked the occasion with a goal, only to miss the target with a big chance.
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Attack
Lauren Hemp (8/10):
Was a threat throughout with her wicked pace and direct approach. Improvised brilliantly to score the opener and was unlucky to see a shot cannon back off the post not long after.
Alessia Russo (8/10):
Held the ball up well and made good runs off it to get into positions to score or create. Should've had a goal, too, but put a huge chance one-on-one wide.
Lauren James (8/10):
Caused problems for Spain whenever she picked up the ball and did some excellent defensive work at the other end as well.

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Subs & Manager
Laura Blindkilde Brown (N/A):
Replaced Kendall for the closing stages and ensured the energy levels in midfield didn't drop.
Chloe Kelly (N/A):
Took James' place out wide for the final 10 minutes.
Sarina Wiegman (8/10):
Had some big decisions to make with her team selection and got every single one of them right. A solid display in which her side gave up very few clear-cut chances and looked dangerous themselves throughout.

Goalkeeper & Defence

Midfield

Attack

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