England Women 8-0 China Women
by Layth Yousif 
at Wembley Stadium 

England thrashed China 8-0 in front of 74,611 fans at Wembley Stadium on Saturday evening.

Four goals in 11 minutes, five before half time and eight in total, including a hat-trick from Georgia Stanway, sealed an emphatic victory for the Lionesses, who proved far too strong for the Asia Cup champions. 

The impressive Beth Mead opened the scoring on a goal-laden evening in north-west London, with two goals in the first 14 minutes, before Lauren Hemp added a third 120 seconds later. Following Stanway’s treble, the home side’s Ella Toone and Alessia Russo rounded off the rout.

Speaking after the match, Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman was fulsome in her praise of Mead, saying: “I think she’s improved. She’s always been a smart player — picks up positions, is very calm in the final third and always keeps seeing pictures.

“That’s what she did today too. What we’ve invited her to do even more is make more rotations and pick up more positions and feel the freedom to do that.

“She’s had more experiences in football and life, and keeps developing, but technically she’s improved also.”

Four months ago, Wiegman’s mighty Lionesses retained the European Championships on a never-to-be-forgotten evening in Basel, Switzerland. 

Plenty has happened since then. While results in the two matches since then may have been indifferent, a 3-0 stroll over Joe Montemurro’s Australian side, prior to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Brazil at Manchester City, it is off the field where the impressive Wiegman has had to show her calm leadership — not least when having to deal with the fallout from Mary Earps’s pointlessly controversial book.

Lionesses boss Wiegman has also had to deal with the retirement of defensive stalwart and Euro 2022 winner Millie Bright, not to mention Fran Kirby — who was honoured before the match — as well as missing influential captain Leah Williamson, and the exciting young striker Michelle Agyemang through injury. The England and Arsenal legend a big miss, after having lifted back-to-back Euro titles for Wiegman, as well playing a big part in the Gunners’ memorable Champions League victory back in May.

Wiegman handed 30-year-old goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse a debut, with Hannah Hampton and Khiara Keating missing through injury, but the Oldham-born Orlando Pride player would have had far more difficult training sessions, than against a limited China side — albeit one ranked a heady 16th in the world — preparing to defend their Asia Cup crown next March.

Chelsea’s Niamh Charles started at left-back, while Manchester City attacker Hemp returned for the first time since Euro 2025. 

World Cup runners-up in 1999, China are nicknamed the Steel Roses, even if they soon wilted after England camped outside the Chinese box looking to find a way through the visitor’s defence. Early on Mead played a cross to Arsenal teammate Russo, but the Gunners striker’s header was off target. 

Such dominance was about to lead to an avalanche of goals, when Mead put England 1-0 ahead with a clinical finish from Lucy Bronze’s cross on 12 minutes 

The Arsenal striker grabbed her second in 120 seconds, when doubling the home side’s lead after getting on the end of Ella Toone’s ball into the box on 14 minutes. 

Worse was to come for the startled visitors, when Lauren Hemp made it three after only 16 minutes as England dominated, the goal coming after Stanway’s excellent cross.

In a whirlwind start Stanway made it 4-0 with a little more than 20 minutes gone at the national stadium. The strike coming after Hemp outmuscled her opponent, as shellshocked Hongyan Pan failed to deal with the cross, prior to Stanway hammering the ball home. 

The rampant home side made it 5-0 when Stanway slotted home England’s penalty for her second of the game on 38 minutes, after VAR instructed referee Alina Pesu to go to the monitor after Russo’s shot hit former Brighton and West Ham defender Li Mengwen’s arm in the box.

Arsenal’s Chloe Kelly replaced Hemp at the interval, with another Gunners Lotte Wubben-Moy coming on for Esme Morgan as relentless England chased further goals. 

Stanway made it 6-0 for the home side with her hat-trick after a neat finish on 52 minutes. England made it 7-0 when Toone capitalised on a mix-up among the shell-shocked Chinese back line here at Wembley.

There was still time for Arsenal striker Russo to make it 8-0 with a fine finish from Toone’s through ball.

Standout performer Mead said after the match: “Me, Georgia [Stanway] and Lucy [Bronze] have had the chance to play together for a lot of years now and I think that showed.

“We found the spaces, we rotated really well, we filled in for each other, and we caused problems for their left side.”

Next up is Ghana in a friendly at Southampton tomorrow, to round off a memorable year for the Lionesses.