Steph Houghton missed a penalty for England as the USA progressed to the World Cup final courtesy of a 2-1 win over the Lionesses in Lyon.
Christen Press, brought in to replace the benched Megan Rapinoe, fired the Americans in front after just ten minutes with a powerful header.
The USA continued to pile on the pressure, with England struggling to keep hold of the ball and get any grip on a quick-pace game.
But amid the USA’s dominance, Ellen White brought England level with her sixth goal of the tournament after latching onto a superb cross from Beth Meade.
England’s goal stirred the defending champions again and England’s replacement goalkeeper Telford was called into a diving save from Rose Lavelle’s stinging long-range effort.
Another header, this time from Alex Morgan, restored the USA’s lead to end the goalscoring in a pulsating first half.
Press missed a chance for her second just after the hour mark when Telford played the ball straight to the American in the England box.
Poor finishing saved England from going two goals behind and the Lionnesses thought they were level again when Jill Scott’s instinctive flick pass put White through on goal.
White finished superbly, but after celebrating the equaliser, VAR intervened to disallow the goal due to offside.
While that VAR decision was correct, White was left fuming when she felt she had been clipped by Becky Sauerbrunn in the box.
The decision went to VAR and after a lengthy wait, referee Edina Alves Batista determined there was enough of a touch to award the penalty.
England’s captain Houghton stepped up to take the spot-kick, but her weak penalty was saved by Alyssa Naeher – sparking wild celebrations from the USA team.
Matters then worsened for England, as Millie Bright received a second yellow for diving in on Morgan. With the extra player, the USA saw out the final minutes of the game to book their place in the final on Sunday.
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