Hayes ‘pursuing excellence’ with USA after dominant win over Republic of Ireland | OneFootball

USWNT manager Emma Hayes was pleased with the reaction shown by her side after half-time as they beat Republic of Ireland 4-0.

Goals from Avery Patterson, Sam Coffey, Rose Lavelle and Alyssa Thompson secured a big win over the Irish who managed just one shot against their hosts.

After initially struggling in the opening phases of the match, Hayes was pleased with the reaction from her players to come home with a dominant victory.

“I thought we started the game fast, it was a bright start,” Hayes said. “We had an offside chance in the first few minutes of the games.

“The early part we did really well, but we struggled with our tempo a little bit even though we got a set piece goal and a late goal in the half to go in 2-0 up which was fair.

“I thought our tempo was slow and the things we’ve been working on weren’t coming off the way we wanted them to, so we reinforced that at half time, the things we were looking for.

“Some of it got better, but then Ireland changed their tactics and went even lower, so those spaces got even harder to find. Rose’s (Lavelle) goal was sublime in every way, shape or form.

“It was exactly what we asked for at half-time, and it would’ve been great to cap off the game with a goal from a 28-pass sequence, I thought the game warranted that.”

With two more games to go during this international break, including another match against the Republic of Ireland, Hayes is adamant her side will not take their foot off the accelerator even with changes expected.

“I definitely won’t change who I am, not for anyone. Even if I like you. The USWNT has such a high bar that it’s up to me to keep pace with that and deliver teams that pursue excellence every single time.

“We will absolutely be looking to do that again. There will be changes because it’s a three game window for us and I want to see the whole squad. An opportunity to show themselves.”