Mary Earps: England's Queen of Stops proves she is world’s best in final
She could not have done anything more to help England win the World Cup. It was a one-woman act of defiance. There were a string of impressive saves in open play and even a huge leap to her left to keep out a penalty kick.
Mary Earps proved beyond doubt against Spain that she is the best goalkeeper in the world, but being named the best stopper in the tournament, with Fifa’s Golden Glove award to take home on a subdued plane on Monday, will not feel like much of a prize. Not at the moment anyway.
When the Manchester United star reacted to her penalty save by screaming “f— off” it sent a shiver down the spine. England may have lost but they will always go down fighting. Another brave near miss this may have been, but Earps epitomised something that runs through this country like a fault line. It was an eruption of emotion.
It might have been aimed at the player who missed, Jennifer Hermoso. Or maybe the entire Spanish team whose clever game management had got under English skins all evening.
Maybe it was her own defence, or Keira Walsh for handling in the area. Quite possibly it was meant for nobody in particular, just a roar to express her sheer, bloody-minded refusal to let the ball go past her again. ‘I will not be beaten for a second time and I will scream obscenities in the face of anyone who tries.’
Earps did not deserve to be on the losing team. Her performance merited one of England’s attacking players coming up with an equaliser. A midfielder managing to play through the Spanish press rather than pass backwards or cough up possession to invite more pressure.
The Manchester United goalkeeper kicked off her World Cup by publicly criticising kit manufacturers Nike for their refusal to make replica goalkeepers jerseys. It is a battle she had fought for months behind the scenes and her patience snapped. Her comments embarrassed Nike and briefly caused some crisis management from the Football Association as they liaised with one of their main commercial partners to smooth things over. Nike has not commented on the situation.
But Earps is not one to give up, as she displayed with every sharp reaction block and athletic dive. She was magnificent against Spain and prevented an even heavier defeat for Sarina Wiegman’s side.
She picked a fight with her words and then backed it up with her deeds. She has been superb in Australia, just as she was at the European Championship last summer.
More significantly, what the 30-year-old has done at this tournament is make goalkeeping cool, she has made it a position that young girls will want to try. Even if their parents would prefer them not to turn the air blue when they make an incredible save.
But what Earps has also done more than most is to silence that tedious debate about whether the goal is too big for female players. People used to mock the standard of goalkeeping in the women’s game but they can keep those stupid comments to themselves from now on.
The save Earps made in the first half to deny Alba Redondo, the save with her foot to keep out Ona Batlle’s deflected effort, just minutes after somehow clawing away Mariona
Caldentey’s shot that was curling into the bottom corner – they were world class in any form of the game, male or female.
Earps heads home a beaten World Cup finalist, but she has been an inspirational force. She has done her country proud.
Earps did not want to speak in the mixed zone after the match. The emotions; the anger, the frustration and the disappointment were too much for her by that point. That is understandable. But she had already said enough, in those seconds after her penalty save that had kept England in the game.
To some extent that is how everyone in England will have felt. This was another valiant effort that fell just short, another case of what might have been – and it hurts. When there is not anything clever or articulate to say, sometimes swearing loudly is the only way to go.
Football brings joy and it inflicts pain but England’s goalkeeper leaves with her head held high. They all do.
As she told the BBC immediately after picking up her silver medal: “They had a chance and took it, we didn’t. I felt like we were really in the game so it’s just really disappointing.
“I’m sure we will feel proud in a couple of weeks, but right now it is really raw, gutting. Individual praise isn’t really comforting. I just try to do my job for the team, give everything, leave everything on the pitch, but the team result is the most important thing.”
Earps left the pitch a loser but she leaves Australia with her reputation enhanced. She has won an argument for female goalkeepers too.
