Aggie Beever-Jones celebratingGetty Images

Aggie Beever-Jones is just the second woman to score a hat-trick at Wembley for England after Beth Mead

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter at Wembley Stadium

Aggie Beever-Jones scored a first-half hat-trick as England responded to a difficult week by thrashing Portugal in an impressive Women's Nations League victory.

It came days after goalkeeper Mary Earps announced her shock international retirement at 32 - and just five weeks before England begin the defence of their European title.

Pressure was on Sarina Wiegman's side to deliver at Wembley as noise grew throughout the week around the disruption and unsettling period following Earps' decision.

But newly confirmed number one Hannah Hampton was barely called into action as her team-mates put on a dominant show at the other end of the pitch in their Group A3 tie.

Chelsea forward Beever-Jones seriously boosted her chances of Euro 2025 selection with a stunning individual display - her treble coming in just 33 minutes as the hosts hit five goals before half-time.

Her opener - a composed stroke into the far corner - was quickly followed by a Lucy Bronze header to make it 2-0 within the first five minutes.

England did not take their foot off the gas with Bronze turning provider for club team-mate Beever-Jones to claim her second in the 26th minute. Beth Mead added a fourth three minutes later, before Beever-Jones completed her first international hat-trick in her first Wembley start.

The commanding lead allowed Wiegman the opportunity to rotate and give valuable minutes to defender Alex Greenwood - playing her first England game this year following knee surgery - while Lauren Hemp impressed in her first start since October, also due to injury.

Those two could prove key for England at this summer's Euros, while Bayern Munich midfielder Georgia Stanway was also fit enough to play 15 minutes from the bench.

Substitute Chloe Kelly made an impression too, scoring four minutes after coming on, heading in a perfectly timed Mead cross.

All-in-all, it was a hugely successful night for England and any pre-match nerves from goalkeeper Hampton were never put to the test.

The success left them two points behind Spain and victory against the leaders in Tuesday's final group game in Barcelona will send them into the semi-finals.

England enjoy themselves to block out noise

Wiegman admitted before kick-off it had been a "hard" start to the week following Earps' announcement, which led to criticism over the Paris St-Germain keeper's timing and whether the squad would be affected.

The manager fielded questions on the pressure it could put on Hampton and other members in the squad who would be forced to step up in the absence of Earps' experience and leadership.

But the goalkeeping position was not the story at full-time as England's creators enjoyed themselves and showed their attacking quality.

Beever-Jones, who scored nine goals in 22 appearances for Chelsea this season, has grown immensely in the past year and thrived on the main stage.

The 21-year-old looked at home from the first minute, hassling Portugal's weary defence and linking up well with Manchester City's Jess Park and Arsenal forward Mead.

She was deserving of her hat-trick and also played a role in Bronze's header, flicking on Hemp's cross to tee up the Chelsea defender to nod the ball home from a few yards.

Beever-Jones joins Mead as the only female players to score a hat-trick for England at Wembley.

The job was done at half-time but England took their opportunity to build momentum, pinging the ball around from back to front and linking up nicely in attack.

It was a completely different performance to the disjointed ones they produced in a 3-2 defeat by Belgium last month, and the away fixture in Portugal which ended in a 1-1 draw in February.

When the heat was on, when the noise was dialled up, the Lionesses rose to the challenge and that will give them huge confidence as they prepare to travel to Switzerland for their Euro 2025 opener on 5 July.

"This game was really important because we knew if we won then we would be in a good position for the World Cup draw and at the same time we're preparing for the Euros," said Wiegman.

"We wanted to secure second spot in the Nations League and now we move on and go to Spain [on Tuesday] and that is what the focus is on right now."

Return of key stars provides major boost

With time running out before the start of the Euros, Wiegman will be keen to use these Nations League matches to build the fitness and form of her returning stars following injury.

They travel to Spain on Tuesday (18:00 BST) hoping to end on a high in Group A3, with victory putting them above the world champions in the standings.

But while success in this tournament would be welcome, the priority is their Euros preparation and no sight was better than seeing Stanway, Hemp and Greenwood all returning against Portugal.

Hemp has yet to play 90 minutes after making her return for Manchester City in April after five months out, but she looked very sharp in her first England game since October.

Greenwood started City's final two Women's Super League games of the season and did not look out of place when she came on at centre-back, spraying passes over the top and combining well with Leah Williamson.

She almost got her name on the scoresheet when her fizzing free-kick was touched on to the crossbar by visiting keeper Ines Pereira.

And after watching Bayern Munich win the inaugural Women's World Sevens tournament in Portugal last week, Stanway was in action for England for the first time this year after tearing the lateral ligament in her right knee during a training session with her club in January.

The trio were given a warm welcome back by the Wembley crowd and, crucially, provided an immense boost for Wiegman as she plots England's defence of their European title.

"Of course it's really nice to see them back," added the Lionesses boss. "They have worked so hard to get to where they are right now and that is what they showed.

"I'm really happy with that. Of course we need to keep building. The Euros is really coming close but, at the same time, we want to perform in the Nations League so we have to find that balance."

Player of the match

A. Beever-Jones
9.03
9 A. Beever-Jones
9.03
11 L. Hemp
8.37
7 B. Mead
8.21
2 L. Bronze
8.04
5 L. Williamson
7.89
17 C. Kelly
7.82
15 A. Greenwood
7.48
3 J. Carter
7.20
10 J. Park
6.95
6 E. Morgan
6.87
8 G. Clinton
6.76
4 K. Walsh
6.74
14 M. Le Tissier
6.53
20 F. Kirby
6.47
1 H. Hampton
6.32
16 G. Stanway
6.23
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