Chelsea's Sam Kerr put in an inspired display to help Australia triumph over England and end the Lionesses' 30-game unbeaten run under Sarina Wiegman.
England went into Tuesday's clash off the back of their Finalissima triumph over Brazil, with penalty shootout hero Chloe Kelly replacing Lauren James up front and defender Esme Morgan coming in for injured Manchester City teammate Alex Greenwood. Kerr was restored to Australia's starting lineup having not featured in the Matildas' narrow defeat to Scotland last time out, with West Ham 'keeper Mackenzie Arnold keeping her place between the sticks.
One third of players from each team took to the field without names on the back of their shirts to show their support for the Alzheimer’s Society, who struck up a partnership with the FA in 2021. The initiative aimed to draw attention to the fact that one in three people born in the UK today will develop dementia.
READ MORE: England Lionesses edge out Brazil in first ever women's Finalissima as Wiegman goes 30 unbeaten
It was the Lionesses who made the brighter start to the contest in West London, with Alessia Russo forcing an early save from Arnold after Lauren Hemp's dangerous cut-back into the penalty area. A rare error from Keira Walsh in the middle of the park gifted Australia their first chance of the game minutes later, but Hayley Raso's tame effort from the edge of the area was smartly parried to safety by Mary Earps.
A spell of sustained England pressure saw Russo shin an effort just wide of the post after some fine work from Kelly down the right flank. However, Wiegman's side were made to pay for the spurned opportunity when Leah Williamson failed to deal with Clare Hunt's ball over the top.
The England skipper's header fell straight into the path of Kerr who made no mistake with a cool dinked finish to put the Matildas ahead inside 32 minutes. England huffed and puffed as they sought to restore parity but Australia's stringent defence battled hard to preserve their narrow lead heading into the break.
Kerr almost doubled her goal tally for the evening minutes into the second half after latching on to Cortnee Vine's superb through ball however her effort curled just wide of Earps' far post. The Chelsea striker quickly turned provider, though, rifling a dangerous cross into the path of Charlotte Grant, whose header deflected off Williamson and bobbled into the net.
Substitute Rachel Daly came close to pulling one back for England when she nodded just wide of the post but it wasn't to be for the Lionesses, who will need to bounce back from their first defeat in almost two years if they are to stand a chance of going all the way at this summer's World Cup.
Here's how the players got on at Gtech Community Stadium:
Mary Earps - 6
Parried a tame effort from Raso early on but could do little for Kerr's opener. Wrong-footed by a wicked deflection for the second.
Lucy Bronze - 6
Struggled to influence the game offensively apart from one late burst down the right.
Jess Carter - 6
Solid on the ball and injected some energy in the second half. Subbed.
Keira Walsh - 6
Made an uncharacteristic error early doors to gift Raso a chance and found it hard to really get into the game.
Leah Williamson - 5
Made some crucial early interceptions and looked the most likely to unlock the Australian defence with her impressive passing range. Seemed to struggle increasingly as the first half progressed, gifting Kerr the opener with a misplaced header. Deflected the ball into her own net in the second half. A night to forget.
Esme Morgan - 6
Did a solid enough job but like all of England's defenders, struggled to contain Kerr.
Chloe Kelly - 7
Did her best to drive England forwards but struggled to carve out too many clear-cut chances in the first half. Persisted in the second.
Georgia Stanway - 6
Saw an effort deflected behind before the break. Got stuck into some meaty tackles in the second half.
Alessia Russo - 6.
Forced Arnold into an early save after latching onto Hemp's low cross into the box. Faded after the break.
Ella Toone - 5
A very quiet display from the Manchester United midfielder. Subbed.
Lauren Hemp - 7
Nearly set up Russo in the opening minutes and not afraid to do the hard yards defensively. Looked like England's brightest spark before being substituted early on.
Substitutes:
Lauren James - 6
An early replacement for Lauren Hemp. Apart from the odd burst struggled to impose herself on the game.
Rachel Daly - 6
Came close with a header after the break.
Jess Park
Ten minutes under her belt and showed everybody what she can do with a run down the left-hand side shortly after her introduction.
READ NEXT:
Sarina Wiegman addresses Beth Mead World Cup hopes as Arsenal star recovers from ACL injury
- Chelsea discover FA Cup semi-final opponents with third successive title on the line
Emma Hayes makes Chelsea admission after 'sluggish' Manchester City display
Caitlin Foord hails 'quality' Arsenal teammate over impressive moment during Tottenham thumping
Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall slams 'unacceptable' VAR errors after Champions League defeat
