Phil’s England hammer France

PHIL NEVILLE tried to stay cool. He walked the length of England’s dugout, exchanging high-fives with his staff before affording himself a wry smile. Inside, though, his heart will have been jumping. This was the 38th minute of his first match in charge of the women’s team and Jodie Taylor had just scored England’s third. France have so often been England’s nemesis at this level — they had only beaten them once since 1974 — but the Lionesses ripped them to pieces. The FA appointed Neville to move England on from the direct style of sacked former boss Mark Sampson but even FA technical director Dan Ashworth, who was here, would not have expected such an instant lift. The tone was set in the second minute when Chelsea forward Fran Kirby forced a desperate save from France keeper Karima Benameur and in the next attack, England had the lead when Barcelona’s Toni Duggan finished a sweeping move. Jill Scott, the Manchester City midfielder, doubled the advantage in the 28th minute after good work by her club-mate Nikita Parris, who also created the third with a glorious ball that allowed striker Taylor to streak clear. Three minutes after the restart Kirby got the goal her performance merited. Although France hit back through Gaetane Thiney the only blemish on the day came when Anita Asante was substituted 10 minutes into her first England appearance since 2015 with a knee issue.