Phil Foden does not feel like a natural fit in the era of Thomas Tuchel, but Marcus Rashford has an England future and Harry Kane is brilliant again.
JORDAN PICKFORDIf only just to feel something during what must technically be described as his 74th cap and 35th clean sheet, decided at one point in the first half to showcase his absolute rank inability to compute the trajectory of a high ball dropping underneath the frame of his goal after hitting the top of the crossbar.
How the Everton keeper must have longed for Dan Burn to be shadowing him instead of Divock Origi in December 2018.
KYLE WALKERSloppy and unreliable in possession early on – every other England player had a first-half pass accuracy in the 90s but his was 85.3% – Walker did grow into his role on the right after two instances of being able to use his recovery pace to avert potential disaster.
England were noticeably less incisive and threatening down the right but the 34-year-old did produce one excellent cross which Bellingham and then Kane could not quite finish. Good ball for the Kane goal, too.
The right-back position remains up for grabs but it does feel as though his experience will be relied upon more often than not.
EZRI KONSAThere was not an obvious amount of work for him to get through until Burn’s mistake put Asani through, at which point the alert Konsa timed his intervention well and received that immense honour of being praised by Pickford.
That was the highlight reel moment; the fact Konsa went largely unnoticed before and after is no bad thing whatsoever. Indeed it’s entirely preferential.
DAN BURN
What a week he’s had by the way. No player had more touches than the large debutant and not all of them involved laboriously recycling possession from side to side to create space and angles. At one point he even found a delightful little pass through the lines to Kane who immediately played it back to Konsa because pundits have to be given some reason to be furious.
He did the right thing when Pickford was unduly hesitant after Burn intercepted a low cross, while the Blythman also won approximately all the headers and clattered the bar with one.
It was remarkably serene until Broja came on and actually moved around a bit to provide a timely reminder that Burn probably hasn’t suddenly emerged as the future of England’s defence at 32.
MYLES LEWIS-SKELLYDespicable cockiness to be overcome with emotion while celebrating the goal which made him the youngest goalscoring England debutant ever. Come to think of it, scoring it in the first place was unforgivably disrespectful, probably to poor Erling Haaland.
It was a wonderful run and finish which capped a sublime display without defining it. Lewis-Skelly remained committed to his task thereafter in a way those who accuse him of immaturity or arrogance will steadfastly refuse to see.
It is always funny to see an opponent convince themselves Lewis-Skelly is susceptible to be tackled until he suddenly slips free and into space.
DECLAN RICESuch a quietly effective player and the crux of everything England do in either half. The rest defence is channelled through him and those loose balls he has no right to retrieve, while his creative flair continues to go underappreciated in some quarters.
Rice made five chances, including the cross Kane converted, not including that lovely chip for Walker’s ball in. His corners were decent too; remember when he didn’t take any at Euro 2024?
CURTIS JONESA fine runout. Jones was positive on the ball and played forwards more often than not, while some of his touches were at least ambitious and his movement was good.
He might have suffered for making it his personal mission to get Foden a goal midway through the second half, as that does seem an entirely thankless task at international level. The role of Rice’s partner has yet to be definitively cast but Jones is in the running.
PHIL FODEN
With the words of Tuchel ringing in his ears suggesting England were gripped by fear and inhibition at Euro 2024, Foden far more than any other player seems to remain in the grips of that existential dread. His Manchester City form did nothing to earn this call-up and this showing failed to justify it.
The moment when he won that 50/50 at the start of the second half and had a couple of teammates surging forward in support was telling. The pass across into space felt simple but he couldn’t get it under control and ended up taking the safe option of playing it backwards.
Foden’s case to start under Tuchel was harmed more than anyone’s in the German’s first game.
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JUDE BELLINGHAMIf he is forever destined to produce one moment of elevated magnificence for England a game before fading into obscurity then we might have to accept the trade-off.
Bellingham had a couple of other flashes, testing the keeper twice and then offering some bright touches in the area, but the heights of the assist were understandably impossible to scale thereafter.
Uzuni is still running around in circles and the defence-bisecting pass to Lewis-Skelly was ridiculous. Make all the points you wish about his overall contribution but he can produce magic when the time comes.
MARCUS RASHFORDA perfect performance for critics and admirers, those desperate for Manchester United to be ‘proven right’, and the rest who would just like an obviously talented footballer and decent human to find their feet again.
It was a purposeful 74 minutes, down to his off-the-ball movement in behind, fine combinations with Bellingham and a stunning crossfield ball straight into Foden’s feet in the first half.
That opening period summed it up with some fine tracking back at one point to show Rashford was a changed and highly motivated man, before he pulled out of a challenge soon after to demonstrate he is nothing more than a woke, child-feeding coward.
No player completed more dribbles and no player was dispossessed more often. Those inclined to like him will focus on the former; anyone predisposed to disliking him will centre on the latter. And those are the ones who are wrong.
HARRY KANEIt is wonderful to know that ‘Harry Kane should stop dropping deep’ remains a pre-match discussion topic in 2025, especially considering his best moments in the first half were when he came towards and even past the halfway line before picking out brilliant passes to Rashford both times.
Even before a goal he took exceptionally well, there was unnecessary proof he can successfully marry the two biggest aspects of his role when he loitered in perfect position to finish after Bellingham’s header was saved by Strakosha. Only a ludicrous Djimsiti block thwarted him then but the touch and goal at the end of the second half was impeccable.
SUBSTITUTES
**ANTHONY GORDON (on for Rashford, 74)**Could not do much beyond picking up an injury, which feels sub-optimal.
**MORGAN ROGERS (on for Jones, 74)**He will enjoy his start against Latvia on Monday a bit more.
**JARROD BOWEN (on for Foden, 74)**Very possibly ran further than a few starters.
**JORDAN HENDERSON (on for Rice, 82)**Wasn’t booed, which feels like progress.
**REECE JAMES (on for Lewis-Skelly, 90)**A pawn for the selfish, egotistical Lewis-Skelly to get his Wembley applause.
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