Sunday evening saw Lee Carsley’s England squad comfortably beat Finland 3-1 away from home. They are sitting on nine points so far, second place behind Greece, who have collected 12.
How the goals went in
England found themselves 1-0 up within the first 20 minutes after a delightful pass from Angel Gomes found the feet of Jack Grealish, who comfortably sorted the ball in the back of the net.
The Three Lions would then go on to defend brilliantly, holding the advantage at 1-0 until Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold found the top left corner - scoring a stunning free kick to make it 2-0.
It wasn’t too long before England extended their two-goal advantage, as a sublime pass found the feet of Declan Rice, who gently tapped over the line to finish the game at 3-0.
Unfortunately Carsley’s men did not return to England with a clean sheet, as a late consolation goal scored by Finland’s Arttu Hoskonen finished the game 3-1.
England Player Ratings:
Dean Henderson - 6
Making his first start in between the sticks for England, starting over Jordan Pickford, the Crystal Palace man had very little to do throughout the 90 minutes.
Facing only three shots on the evening, Henderson put in a decent shift and was very unlucky to concede as Arturo Hoskonen grabbed a consolation goal late on for the home side.
Kyle Walker - 5
After being left out of Lee Carsley’s September Squad, the Manchester City defender had a very quiet game on his return in an England shirt.
Lacking attacking quality when England pushed up the pitch, the ageing full-back contributed very little when it came to creating chances but looked confident in defence as always.
John Stones - 7
Seeming to lead the back line at times, “Supper Johnny Stones” did well to keep the Finland attackers quiet, while also doing well to support defensive partner Marc Guehi in times of trouble.
Marc Guehi - 7
Becoming more of a familiar face in the Three Lions defence, Guehi put in a sublime first-half performance, constantly winning the ball in the air and making key interceptions on the ground as international duty slowly becomes the norm for the Crystal Palace defender.
Trent Alexander-Arnold - 8 - POTM
Surprisingly, starting at Left-Back, the versatile full-back put in an outstanding performance for England.
Combining brilliantly with those in front of him - contributing towards Jack Grealish’s opener - the talented full-back displayed his class once again as he curled one in the top left corner, scoring a sublime free-kick in the 74th minute to give England a 2-0 advantage.
Arguably England's best player on the night, the Liverpudlian would’ve been pleased when he left the stadium with the “Player of the Match” award.
Angel Gomes - 7
Making only his second start for England, Gomes put in a solid performance partnered alongside the talented Declan Rice.
Looking shaky in midfield to start off with as he easily gave the ball away in dangerous areas, it didn’t take long for the youngster to redeem himself as he produced a superb assist for Jack Grealish, who opened the scoring for England - giving them a 1-0 lead away from home.
Declan Rice - 8
After putting in a more than underwhelming performance against Greece at Wembley, the Arsenal man was back to his best against the Finnish.
England's number four looked like he was everywhere, dominating the midfield defensively and making a few impressive runs into the penalty area. He caused Kanera’s men many problems throughout the 90 minutes.
Rice was finally awarded for his sublime performance late on, managing to find the back of the net as he calmly tapped the ball past Hradecky to give England a three-goal advantage - capping off an impressive performance in an England shirt.
Jude Bellingham - 7
Combining well with both Trent and Grealish, the Real Madrid midfielder continued to shine the brightest amongst the others.
Constantly doing work on and off the ball, England's star boy left the pitch knackered in the 80th minute, but one of England’s best players on the night.
Cole Palmer - 5
Putting in a proper shift on Thursday against Greece, one of England's most inform players at the moment seemed very reserved against the Finnish.
Lacking both determination and fight in the final third, the Chelsea boy was a shadow of his normal self. His most memorable moment on the pitch was a good effort against the Leverkusen keeper, who saved the shot more than comfortably.
A night to forget for Cole Palmer.
Jack Grealish - 7
Scoring England's first of the match, Grealish turned back the years and was full of confidence.
Besides sometimes not taking on players at times when encouraged, there is not much criticism to be given towards the Manchester City winger whom played superbly at times for Lee Carsley.
Harry Kane - 4
Besides a few attempts to provoke Finlands defence, it was a very quiet night for Englands skipper whom didn’t seem his usual self upfront for the Three Lions.
Dropping deep into midfield at times whilst also not receiving any service up the pitch, Kane seemed to drizzle out of the game until finally substituted for Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins in the 70th minute.
A shadow of his usual self, the Bayern Munich striker must have left the stadium more than disappointed.
Substitutes
Ollie Watkins - 6
Coming on for Harry Kane with 20 minutes to go, the Aston Villa striker struggled to assert himself in front of goal. However, he provided a delightful assist for Declan Rice’s goal—England's third of the night.
Noni Madueke - 6
Replacing fellow Chelsea teammate Cole Palmer in the 70th minute, the Blues winger had a chance to give England a two-goal advantage as he made a delightful run up the pitch; however, he produced a poor pass which just missed Ollie Watkins.
Phil Foden - N/A
Rico Lewis - N/A
Connor Gallagher - N/A
