Euro 2022: Hemp, Bronze & Williamson shine for England against Belgium | OneFootball

England kicked off their Euro 2022 preparation with a 3-0 win against Belgium at Molineux.

In front of almost 10,000 fans in Wolverhampton, Sarina Wiegman’s side produced a dominant second-half performance, with goals from Chloe Kelly, Rachel Daly and captain Leah Williamson.

The England head coach named her 23-person squad for the tournament on Wednesday and Thursay’s game was a chance for many to stake their claim for a starting spot at Old Trafford next month.

While it was far from a faultless 90 minutes, there were some notable individual displays that will no doubt please the Lionesses’ boss.

Here are the five players that impressed us the most:

Lauren Hemp

One thing that’s abundantly clear is that Lauren Hemp is going to be a fan favourite this summer.

The Man City winger was cheered almost every time she touched the ball at Molineux and for good reason.

Hemp weaved between defenders effortlessly and looked a constant goal threat down the left-hand side.

While the 21-year-old failed to get on the score sheet, Hemp has no doubt solidified her spot in the starting 11 for England’s Euro 2022 opener.

Leah Williamson

The England captain was sloppy in possession occasionally but still ran the show in midfield.

For the most part, the Arsenal star appeared to operate as a box-to-box midfielder and made a number of marauding runs forward during the game.

The 25-year-old almost scored in the first half but saw her deft chip cleared off the line.

However, the Lionesses’ skipper got her goal in the end –– slotting home from inside the box to score England’s third.

Lucy Bronze

As we’ve come to expect, it was another assured performance from Bronze.

The England right-back regularly bombed forwards, but was equally assured in defence.

Bronze’s link-up play with both Beth Mead and Chloe Kelly was also impressive and Wiegman will be especially pleased with the full-back’s impact.

Chloe Kelly

Playing in her first England game since recovering from an ACL injury, Kelly came off the bench to score the Lionesses’ opener.

There was more than a hint of luck about the effort as the ball took a wicked deflection off Belgium’s Amber Tysiak, but Kelly will not care one bit.

Though it will be tough to displace either Hemp or Mead for a starting spot in Manchester next month, the Man City forward has proven she can be a game changer on her day.

Beth Mead

The Arsenal forward picked up where she finished off the WSL season and looked dangerous throughout the first half.

Mead provided a number of neat flicks and was unlucky not to win a penalty as well.

There are still two warm-up games to go, but it would be a surprise not to see the winger start against Austria next month.