Sarina Wiegman said England were not playing to “beat the critics” but a victory over world champions Spain will go a long way to restore belief in the Lionesses ahead of the European Championships this summer. It was a 1-0 in Sydney that won Spain their first Women’s World Cup a little over 18 months ago. At Wembley, England earned a little revenge with another 1-0 win in their first meeting since, but more importantly for them was the significance this brings for the future. The European champions can hold their heads up high again after beating the world’s champions.

Lauren James has been named the Player of the Match!

Ever the talisman, she was the driving force behind England’s attack throughout the match, creating chances with piercing passes and mazy dribbling.

She even went close to scoring herself in the second half, but was denied by Coll.

The Lionesses back line shone as they battled to a 1-0 win over Spain. Lucy Bronze in particular rolled back the years to produce a vintage performance, keeping Aitana Bonmati quiet for much of the 90 minutes, while Millie Bright, Leah Williamson, and goalkeeper Hannah Hampton all produced equally impressive performances.

Wiegman recognized this at full time, saying: “We know we have to defend really well to keep the ball out of the net.

“We had a couple of opportunities but overall we’re very happy with how the team stood up and how hard we worked to get the win over the line.”

Wiegman also highlighted her side’s fighting spirit in their nervy win over Spain.

She said: “I’m really happy with the win. It was an absolute team performance and we fought for every yard. A very intense game and we had some very good moments in the game.

“I think the fight and the togetherness is the most important thing and it always starts with that. It helps to improve your game.

“Of course it gives a boost when you win then. At the same time you want to see improvements and that is what I saw today.”

Sarina Wiegman sees tonights win as a statement of intent for her England side, saying they proved they can compete with the best.

She said: “Of course it gives us a boost. We showed again tonight that we can compete with the best. We have shown that before and it was really good to show that again, maybe for ourselves.

“The fans who were in the stadium I think enjoyed the game. We’re on a journey and we had four friendlies where we tried out lots of things. Some things go really well and some things don’t go really well. The games are not easy anymore.”

Montse Tomé has told the press that her Spain side deserved more from the match, and it is tough to disagree with her.

With the majority of the possession and plenty of attacking guile, they will be beyond frustrated to make the trip home empty handed.

She said: "I think the players performed at a high level. We played to win."

Toni Duggan was presented with a framed England shirt before the match today in recognition of her time playing for England, during which she made 79 appearances and scored 22 goals.

England’s three points tonight take them to a tally of four for this Nations League campaign, but results elsewhere are keeping them off top spot.

Portugal’s one-goal win over Belgium means they match England for points, goal difference, goals for and goals against, though they will remain in first place until the next international break in April.

One goal made the difference, and Jess Park has already called it one of the most memorable of her career! Take another look here.

Hannah Hampton has weighed in on the race for the England number one shirt after playing a key role in tonight’s win.

Whether she or Mary Earps will start at the Euros has been a key part of the narrative surrounding tonight’s match, and such a display from Hampton will certainly boost her stock as Wiegman makes her decision.

Hampton remains humble though, saying: “I am just here to play my own game, I know what I can bring to the team. Mary is a brilliant goalkeeper, you’ve seen that in the last few tournaments. I am focusing on myself. When I am happy I play my best football, I just have to put myself in the shop window.”