England 3-0 Australia: Aggie Beever-Jones is becoming impossible to ignore after another superb display - while worrying injury to Euros hero overshadows confident victory

England bounced back from their weekend defeat with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Australia.

It looked to be done and dusted at 2-0 after first-half goals from Aggie Beever-Jones and Lucy Bronze, but a stoppage-time VAR intervention saw referee Luliana Elena point to the spot, and Georgia Stanway coolly converted.

It was the first time in four games that England hadn’t fallen behind, and their first clean sheet in five - all in all, a positive night for Sarina Wiegman’s side.

Daily Mail Sport’s Tara Anson-Walsh was at Pride Park to analyse all the action…

Agyemang a concern

There was a worrying moment towards the end of the match when Michelle Agyemang’s knee appeared to buckle underneath her. 

The 19-year-old, who shot to fame with her late heroics at the Euros – scoring crucial goals in the quarter-final and semi-final – has made an impressive start to the season with Brighton. 

Once again rewarded with a call-up as the youngest player in the squad, she had been lively before disaster struck.

She went down clutching her knee around 20 minutes from time and was stretchered off soon after. She will be hoping for a swift recovery, but the early signs are not encouraging.

‘It doesn’t look good. It’s not confirmed but it looks bad,’ Wiegman said after the match.

Aggie making a case for herself

With each passing week, the ‘what ifs’ surrounding Chelsea striker Aggie Beever-Jones grow louder. 

What if Sarina had picked the 22-year-old to start during the Euros - could England have made life a little easier for themselves? Every match she plays, for club or country, she becomes increasingly impossible to ignore.

Beever-Jones was recently awarded England’s top scorer prize for last season, despite featuring only as a late substitute during the summer’s Euros. A large chunk of that tally came from her unforgettable 33-minute hat-trick on her Wembley debut.

Against Australia, Beever-Jones thought she’d given the European champions an early lead, only to be denied by the offside flag. She didn’t take long to make amends, though, finishing brilliantly at the second attempt following a free-kick. 

Her versatility across the front line means she can play on either wing or as a No 9 – the role she has been thriving in for Chelsea. A worrying sight, then, when she limped off injured late on.

Captain Kerr back in the fold

Speaking of Chelsea strikers, this was another important outing for Australia captain Sam Kerr. On Saturday she made her long-awaited return after 23 months away in a largely forgettable performance against Wales, and this was another chance to build match fitness following the ACL injury she suffered in January 2024.

Since her last appearance for the Matildas, Kerr has been tried and acquitted in a six-day racism trial at Crown Court, and in May she and her partner Kristie Mewis welcomed their son, Jagger Mewis-Kerr.

Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor recently admitted she was reluctant to disrupt her team’s rhythm for the sake of one player, meaning the 32-year-old has so far only featured from the bench this season – though she did mark her return with a goal against Aston Villa.

Kerr had a couple of chances in the first half, her brightest moment coming early on when she forced a save from Hannah Hampton, but otherwise endured a quiet second start. Still, these are valuable minutes in the tank.

A very happy birthday for Lucy Bronze

It’s becoming hard to imagine this England team without Lioness stalwart Lucy Bronze, who celebrated her 34th birthday in style at Pride Park. Rested against Brazil on Saturday, Bronze scored her fifth goal of 2025 – her highest total in a calendar year for England, surpassing her four in 2023.

The fans’ England Women’s Player of the Year remains an unstoppable force and will no doubt do everything she can to make it to the 2027 World Cup.