England 2-0 Finland PLAYER RATINGS: Who exploited space with a passing showreel? Which Three Lions star played within himself? And who looks at home in the shirt?
Harry Kane scored twice in his historic 100th England appearance on Tuesday in the 2-1 win over Finland. Lee Carsley played only his second game as manager of the Three Lions, having beaten Ireland at the weekend.
Carsley made four changes to his starting XI to give other talents from the Three Lions a chance, with Man City’s Rico Lewis among those selected.
In a goalless first half, the home side dominated the match at Wembley but struggled to create any real chances. The Three Lions fans were handed their first home match against their national stars since their Euro 2024 final defeat.
Kane eventually achieved his highlight by putting England ahead with a stunning goal in the 57th minute and later doubling their lead to a comfortable 2-0 victory.
Mail Sport’s CRAIG HOPE gives his expert player ratings from Wembley as England record their second successive win under Carsley.
England dominated the encounter at Wembley, claiming a 2-0 Nations League victory over Finland
Three Lions captain Harry Kane scored on his historic 100th appearance for England
England interim manager Lee Carsley continues to make a strong case for getting the job on a permanent basis
ENGLAND (4-2-3-1)
Jordan Pickford 6
Nations League remains a spectator sport for the goalie. One ball mopped over the top with little fuss. Cigarette out, that aside.
Trent Alexander-Arnold 8
Great opening move from Kane and the space was exploited with a showreel of passing in the second half, including a great assist for Kane’s second.
Ezri Konsa 6.5
The stable English form continues and one nice ball to cut open the Finnish back. Too bad the injury struck in the second half.
John Stones 6.5
Not really tested in defence and ran through with little trouble. Remains England’s best defender.
Rico Lewis7
Started at left back but often popped up on the right when in possession. Looks like he’s at home in the England shirt and versatility could be key.
Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold was given renewed support as he started at right-back
Manchester City youngster Rico Lewis won only his second major English trophy
Declan Rice produced another impressive performance after scoring in England’s weekend win over Ireland
Declan Rice 6
A star in Dublin, he didn’t break the rules here to the same effect. Perhaps he was saving himself for bigger tests to come.
Angel Gomes 7
Always neat and tidy, but also threaded through the lines. An encouraging full debut and you can see why Carsley values the complexity of his playing.
Bukayo Saka 6
He seemed to be a bit on the defensive – with the North London derby in mind? – but did reasonably well, even if the decisive goal was missing.
Jack Grealish6.5
Not as much of a marauding performance as Saturday and will be threatened if teams like Bellingham return, but we did see plenty of possession and had some nice moments.
Anthony Gordon6.5
Attacked his full back early in the game and got a lot of joy. Faded a bit and should have scored when he was free but link-up with Grealish positive again.
Harry Kane 8.5
Shearer-esque finish for opener. At his best? No. But classy telling and sweeping finish for second was typical of Kane. MOM.
Arsenal star Bukayo Saka continues to make a key contribution to England’s attack
City’s Jack Grealish continues his England revival after being left out of the squad for Euro 2024
Kane scored with a powerful shot from just inside the penalty area to give England a deserved lead
Kane was overjoyed after scoring a stunning goal during his historic performance at Wembley
Substitutes
Levi Colwill (for Konsa 61) 6
Noni Madueke (on for Saka 66) 6.5
Eberechi Eze (on for Gordon 66) 5
Marc Guehi (for Stones 80) N/A
Jarrod Bowen (for Kane 80) N/A
Admin: Lee Carsley 6.5
Not the sharp football that won plaudits in Dublin, and he will need to find more ways to break down low-block teams at Wembley. But his use of Alexander-Arnold at right-back proved decisive.
Referee: Morten Krogh (Denmark) 7 Attendance: 70, 221
Finland (4-3-3): Hradecky 7.5; Stahl 5, Hoskonen 5, Ivanov 6, Uronen 5.5 (Niskanen 46, 5); Peltola 6, Schuller 6, Kamara 5.5; Jensen 5, Pukki 5.5 (Kallman 46, 5), Keskinen 5