Ex-Arsenal star hails Man Utd keeper Mary Earps as she wins Golden Glove after England's World Cup heartbreak

Former England goalkeeper David Seaman was among those to hail the performance of Mary Earps as the Lionesses suffered World Cup final heartbreak. 

Earps saved Jennifer Hermoso’s penalty with 20 minutes to play and England 1-0 down against Spain. It briefly rallied Sarina Wiegman’s side but they couldn’t find a leveller. 

Following the final whistle in Sydney, Manchester United’s Earps won the Golden Glove prize for the best goalkeeper at the Women’s World Cup. 

Speaking to the BBC, she said it was little consolation after coming so close to winning the big one. "The team result is the most important thing really and we couldn't get that," Earps told Radio 5 Live. "I just try to go out and do my job for the team, leave everything on the pitch.

"In a couple of weeks, when the emotion has settled down, we will probably be able to look back and feel proud - it is no small feat to get to a World Cup final. But we are very competitive people, we came here to win the game and get a gold medal, not a silver one.

"At the same time you need to try and be as present as possible. These moments don't come around very often. I will probably look back on this as up there as one of my career highlights but right now it just doesn't feel like it."

There was widespread praise for ‘Mary Queen of Stops’, including from Arsenal legend Seaman who tweeted: “What a spectacular women’s World Cup and what a tournament @maryearps027 has had!! SOOO proud of the #Lionesses.”

Gary Lineker tweeted: “Superb save from @maryearps027. What a tournament she’s having.”

Earps has won acclaim for not only her performances on the field, but also the way she has carried herself off it - being highly critical of Nike’s decision not to sell her replica goalkeeper shirt.