Lionesses Winners and losers as Hannah Hampton makes Mary Earps sweat and Leah Williamson enjoys long-awaited England return

The Chelsea goalkeeper started a first competitive international match in two years this week, with Sarina Wiegman noting an increase in competition

After the heartbreak of seeing their Olympic dream die in December, England were back in competitive action this past week for the first time since that disappointing Women's Nations League campaign and, in truth, it feels like a lot of the issues that plagued the Lionesses in that competition are lingering after an underwhelming, albeit unbeaten, start to their Euro 2025 qualifiers.

A relatively comfortable 2-0 win over Ireland on Tuesday was the perfect tonic for a disappointing draw with Sweden at Wembley four days prior, but there are perhaps more questions around England than there are answers at the moment. Things will not get easier for them when they return to action in May either, as a double-header with France awaits.

That said, there were also several positives for the Lionesses and their head coach Sarina Wiegman to take out of the April international break. With there the safety net of play-offs if they do fail to finish in the top two in their qualifying group too, it doesn't feel like they are on the brink of something devastating, which was the case at times in the Nations League.

So, as these international stars prepare to return to their clubs, who had a good England camp and who didn't? Time to look at the winners and losers from the Lionesses' first two Euro qualifiers...

WINNER: Hannah Hampton

For a long time, Mary Earps' place as England's No.1 has been incredibly secure. The Manchester United star has shone for her country at back-to-back major tournaments, playing a huge role in their European Championship triumph in 2022 as well as last year's run to the World Cup final, putting in performances that have also earned her a lot of trust from Wiegman.

However, Hannah Hampton's form at club level in recent months has raised serious debate over who should be the Lionesses' first-choice goalkeeper, simply because she has been so impressive for Chelsea. In February, it felt like she confirmed her status as second-choice, having been third in the pecking order for a while, but the competition for the No.1 spot seemed to increase during this international break.

For Wiegman to give Hampton a chance in a friendly in February was one thing, but to play her in a competitive fixture on Tuesday against Ireland was another altogether. It was the first time since September 2022, when Ellie Roebuck played against Luxembourg, that Earps wasn't England's starting goalkeeper for a competitive match, and Hampton's first appearance in a game of such meaning since April 2022.

"I think we're in a very luxury position that we have two incredible goalkeepers," Wiegman told ITV. "As we have seen [with] Mary [on] Friday, she did an incredible job, but I also think that Hannah's doing a great job with Chelsea, she's growing into competition with Mary, so this is a moment for her to shine."

It wasn't Hampton's best performance in Dublin, with some shaky moments here and there, but she's clearly closing the gap to Earps in the race to be England's No.1.

LOSER: Lucy Bronze

There have been a few critics of Lucy Bronze for a while now, and those voices grew louder during this international break. Against Sweden last Friday, the Barcelona defender failed to check her shoulder, allowing club-mate Fridolina Rolfo to sneak into the box undetected and head home an equaliser at the back post. Four days later, in victory over Ireland, Bronze didn't make any damning errors, but she wasn't at her best in a performance characterised by poor touches and misplaced passes.

It's no secret that England lack competition at right-back, with them generally lacking full-backs altogether. In her April squad, Wiegman's other options were Esme Morgan, who can play anywhere across the back line but hasn't started a match for Manchester City since November; Jess Carter, who almost exclusively plays as a centre-back for Chelsea nowadays; and Niamh Charles, an attacking midfielder or winger who has been converted into a left-back with the Blues and, in turn, England.

If Wiegman did opt to give Bronze some time out of the XI, she wouldn't have many decent choices. But it does feel like the 32-year-old's form could develop into a problem for the Lionesses if it continues in this manner.

WINNER: Leah Williamson

After a hamstring problem delayed her return in February, Leah Williamson finally pulled on that England shirt again this week for the first time in 12 months. It's been an incredibly tough year for the Arsenal defender after a devastating ACL injury robbed her of the chance to captain her country at a World Cup, one they ultimately reached the final of, but she described her return to Lionesses action on Tuesday as the "completion" of her road back.

"Honestly, I just really, really love playing for England," she told ITV. "When I put this badge on, I feel 10 times taller, 10 times stronger." Asked what got her through the dark moments of her recovery, she replied: "This. I had my eyes set on this. I wanted to be good enough to play for England again. The standards are so high and the players that have been here have made them higher. This was the thought, so I feel like today is sort of a completion of that journey."

What made this camp even better for Williamson was that it produced what was probably her best performance post-ACL, with her a calm and commanding presence in the 2-0 win over Ireland on Tuesday. It's not easy for any player to get back to their best after such a setback, but this was a really positive week for the defender in her bid to do so.

LOSER: Chloe Kelly

After losing her place in Manchester City's starting XI, this was a camp where Chloe Kelly would hope to send a message to her club, to show what she was all about and gain a bit of momentum to take back to the north west with her. However, it didn't turn out to be the fruitful camp she'd have wished for.

Having been a regular starter for the Lionesses throughout their Nations League campaign at the back end of 2023, Kelly found herself on the bench for these two fixtures and was granted a total of just 15 minutes across both games as a substitute, which wasn't enough time for her to make any sort of impact on either occasion.

It's a difficult moment for the winger right now. There's no denying her talent and quality, but she finds herself on the outside looking in at the starting XI for club and country. All she can do is focus on working hard on the training pitch and hope that leads to greater opportunities to prove her worth.

WINNER: Alex Greenwood

Williamson's return meant Wiegman had some tough decisions to make in defence in this camp, and those are going to get tougher when Chelsea's Millie Bright returns to fitness, which club and country will hope can be before the end of the season. However, despite the competition at centre-back, which also includes in-form options such as Lotte Wubben-Moy and Carter, Alex Greenwood's place in the team feels pretty set.

It was only two years ago that the Man City stalwart spent most of the Lionesses' triumphant Euros campaign on the bench, having looked certain to start at centre-back alongside Bright ahead of the tournament. That she dropped out of the line-up when Williamson dropped back into defence from a midfield role was harsh on the 30-year-old, who has been one of the best and most consistent players in her position in the Women's Super League for several years now.

But as the competition grows in the back line again, it would be unbelievable for Greenwood to lose her spot given how impressive she has been for a while now. That's a testament to her quality and how her influence at international level has grown.

LOSER: No.9 depth

Going into the World Cup, Rachel Daly's chances of being England's first-choice No.9 felt greater than ever. The Aston Villa forward had spent most of her Lionesses career playing out of position, most often as a full-back, but went into that tournament as the hottest striker in the Women's Super League, scoring at a goal-per-game rate throughout the 2022-23 campaign. She started England's send-off friendly as the striker and, with Alessia Russo struggling for form, must've really fancied her chances of getting the nod for the opening game against Haiti.

Just nine months later, Daly is no longer an England player. On Wednesday morning, just hours after featuring in the Lionesses' win over Ireland, she announced her shock international retirement at the age of 32. "I would love nothing more than to play for England forever, but the time has come for me to hang my boots up on the international stage," she said.

It follows a run of eight games without a start for Daly and came off the back of her getting just a handful of minutes across her country's first two Euro qualifiers. It's been a struggle for her to get much opportunity lately, with Russo comfortably winning the battle for the No.9 shirt while some wingers have even been used in the central role ahead of Daly.

But her retirement is a loss for England, in terms of her personality, her versatility and experience, and also the depth she brings to the front line. She and Russo were the only two strikers included in Wiegman's April squad, with Beth England and Nikita Parris, both of whom have also struggled for chances for their country, not making the cut on this occasion.

What does Wiegman do in the next international break? Does she call up England or Parris, even though she's not shown much interest in them lately? Does she opt for a young talent like Aggie Beever-Jones, who can play as a striker or as a winger? Does she stick with a similar squad and continue to utilise her wide forwards in the central role? Regardless, there is a real lack of established competition for places in that No.9 role right now, which could be a problem if something happens to test that depth.