11
Hannah Hampton’s England heroics prove form is temporary and class is permanent as Lionesses No.1 provides moment that could be a catalyst for her season
Mapi Leon’s delivery from the corner was excellent and up leaped Edna Imade to meet it, sending a powerful header towards the England goal from just six yards out. Hampton had made a few saves in the game but this moment would force her to produce the best yet, as she reacted brilliantly to parry the ball away from danger and thwart Spain at the last.
It was a vital stop, preserving a clean sheet and, with it, a third victory over La Roja in the Lionesses’ last four meetings with the world champions. The stakes weren’t quite like those of last summer’s European Championship final but they were still significant, with only one automatic spot available in the World Cup qualifying group that contains these two powerhouses. England are now three points clear at the top of that table and in pole position to grab that berth – and that save from Hampton, who came into this international break in indifferent form, is a huge reason why.
Under the cosh
Hampton’s form in recent weeks has been a factor of real curiosity. Widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, if not the very best, she came into this international break having conceded seven goals in her last six games for Chelsea. Her last clean sheet was in the League Cup final triumph over Manchester United last month.
Chelsea’s defence is a reason for that, though. Amid injuries to key players such as Nathalie Bjorn and Millie Bright, among others, and a more attack-first approach to the season from head coach Sonia Bompastor, the Blues haven’t been as formidable at the back as they were last year.
Fortunately for Chelsea, that has coincided with opponents largely finding Hampton in fine fettle behind that defence.
Uncharacteristic errors
In recent weeks, though, errors have crept in. When Chelsea faced Brighton after that League Cup final, a surprise misjudgement of a shot from Hampton led to the Seagulls levelling the scores and they would have held the reigning Women’s Super League champions to a draw had young midfielder Lexi Potter not spared Hampton’s blushes by netting late on.
A week later, in the first leg of Chelsea’s Champions League quarter-final against Arsenal, eyebrows were raised again as Chloe Kelly’s effort from range flew past Hampton, with a shot-stopper of her world-class calibre expected to do better.
Then, in Chelsea’s final game before the international break, another surprising misjudgement from Hampton allowed Tottenham to level the scores in their FA Cup quarter-final clash, before Veerle Buurman this time came to the rescue with a brilliant strike to win the tie in the closing minutes.
Increased scrutiny
As such, Hampton was under a little more scrutiny than usual going into this international break. As England’s undisputed No.1, it was known that she would play a significant role this week. So, the big question was, could she put the lapses of recent outings behind her?
In the first half at Wembley, some may have doubted her ability to do so. Well known for her excellent distribution as well as her brilliant shot-stopping, Hampton’s passing was off and it almost allowed Spain to level the scores when she played the ball directly to Mariona Caldentey in a dangerous position.