02 December 2023 , 12:10
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Lionesses manager Sarina Wiegman dismissed Mary Earps ' claims that she "let down" England in the 3-2 comeback victory over the Netherlands, adding that she doesn't want the Manchester United No 1 "to talk like that".
Earps made an uncharacteristically costly error in England's Nations League clash with the Dutch at Wembley Stadium on Friday night as she let Lineth Beerensteyn's effort in at her near post, despite getting a glove to it.
The mistake doubled the visitors' advantage to see them relish a two-goal lead going into the interval, leaving England's hopes of keeping their Nations League campaign alive and qualifying for next summer's Olympics teetering on a knife edge.
Goals from Georgia Stanway and Lauren Hemp restored parity in the second-half, before Ella Toone dramatically sealed a significant victory in injury-time as she volleyed home Lauren James' long-range cross from inside the six-yard box.
The victory however did little to assuage a devastated Earps who struggled to hide her frustration over her first-half blunder after the final whistle.
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Speaking to ITV after the game, Earps said: "I'm sorry my performance cost the girls like that. That will haunt me for a long time. I've really let the team down today. I'm really gutted."
However, Wiegman disregarded those comments in her press conference, telling reporters: "I spoke to her very shortly and I don’t want her to talk like that, because you win as a team and lose as a team.
"She didn’t let the team down. Everyone does their best. You only let your team down when you don’t put effort in."
England's comeback win keeps their Nations League campaign alive only just. The Lionesses must beat Scotland by a heavy margin to surpass the superior goal difference touted by the Dutch (three to England's one).
Doing so would ensure progression to the knock-out stages of the Nations League, meaning a place in Paris next summer for Team GB also remains alive. Even so, the permutations are extensive, though, with Belgium playing the Netherlands at the same time.
Wiegman added: "First now we do some training then we do recovery and then we get prepared for Tuesday. How we were on the pitch the first half, that’s what we want on the pitch on Tuesday.
"First of all you want to win the game and then you want to score as many goals as possible and then we’ll see what happens."