It was a memorable 150th international appearance for City’s Jill Scott, as an Ellen White hat-trick helped England to a 6-0 friendly win over Northern Ireland in their first game for over 11 months.

Our midfielder, currently on loan at Everton, provided the ammunition for White to complete her treble just before the 50-minute mark in a dominant performance that will have delighted caretaker boss Hege Riise, taking charge for the first time.

Reflecting on her incredibly achievement, Scott could not hide her delight.

“The game was really enjoyable,” she said. “I’m really happy for Ella Toone and the other girls who made their debuts, so it’s been a great day all round.

“Massive thanks to Steph [Houghton] for letting me have the captain’s armband today. She’s made so much effort to make sure it was a special day for me.

“I’ve been overwhelmed by all the messages, I was just trying to concentrate on the game but now I can finally relax. Everything I do is to just make my family proud but I don’t think this has sunk in yet.”

It was the Lionesses’ first match since March 2020, when they took on Spain in the She Believes Cup, but there were no signs of any lingering cobwebs, with nine City players contributing to a resounding victory at St George’s Park.

Scott, White and teammates Lauren Hemp, Lucy Bronze and substitute Chloe Kelly were in the thick of the action going forward, while there was a typically industrious performance from Georgia Stanway at the heart of the midfield.

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And Ellie Roebuck, Steph Houghton and Alex Greenwood also provided a stern rearguard for Riise’s side, putting any fears to rest that our opponents might build on their four-game winning streak.

White capitalised on a defensive mistake to sweep home the opener with the game approaching 20 minutes before heading home Bronze’s incisive near-post cross five minutes later.

Our full back then went from provider to scorer before the half-hour to poke home Hemp’s low cross from close-range, before White completed her hat-trick early in the second half with a devastating finish into the roof of the net, provided by Scott’s penetrating through ball.

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With the game progressing past the hour, Bronze once again struck gold when her incisive low ball from the right was tucked home by Houston Dash’s Rachel Daly.

And it was six soon after, with Manchester United’s Ella Toone scoring from the spot on her debut after substitute Kelly was felled inside the area with 15 left on the clock.

Meanwhile, Caroline Weir‘s Scotland rounded off their EURO 2022 Qualification campaign against Portugal but fell to a 2-0 defeat at the Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium in Larnaca.