England player ratings vs Finland as four stars get 8/10 but Harry Kane struggles | Football | Sport
Jack Grealish, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Declan Rice were on target for England as they kept alive hopes of promotion from League B of the UEFA Nations League with a comfortable 3-1 victory away to Finland.
Lee Carsley’s side had a score to settle following Thursday’s humbling defeat at home to Greece, with Grealish opening the scoring for the visitors 18 minutes in.
While Finland remained within touching distance of the Three Lions, they rarely threatened an equaliser, but Alexander-Arnold made sure of the three points by firing in a trademark free-kick 15 minutes from time.
Rice tucked home a delightful third late on, but England’s clean sheet was snatched away from them when Arttu Hoskonen claimed a consolation for the hosts.
Express Sport runs through the player ratings from England’s victory away to Finland.
Dean Henderson – 6
Replaced Jordan Pickford in the starting XI and would’ve been furious to have missed out on a clean sheet because of lax defending from his team-mates.
Kyle Walker – 6
No major issues on his return to the England XI after being left out of the September squad.
John Stones – 6
Failed to deal with a cross that should’ve resulted in a Finland equaliser midway through the second half. Otherwise looked comfortable with whatever the Finnish attack threw at him.
Marc Guehi – 6
Appears to be the first-choice partner for John Stones in Harry Maguire’s absence. Finished the match with an impressive 94 per cent accuracy from 104 attempted passes.
The latest experiment from Carsley to try and fix England’s left-back problem. Looked comfortable enough and proved his worth with a stunning free-kick to put England two goals ahead.
Declan Rice – 8
Covered plenty of ground at the base of an orthodox midfield three. Threatened a couple of times before finally getting his name on the scoresheet with his final touch of the match.
Angel Gomes – 8
Tidy in possession, linked defence with attack and popped up with a stylish first-half assist for Grealish’s opener. Looks exactly the sort of player England missed during their run to the Euro 2024 final in the summer.
Jude Bellingham – 7
Looked more comfortable as the lone No.10 compared to Thursday night. Stretched the Finnish backline on several occasions and won the free-kick that led to Alexander-Arnold’s goal.
Cole Palmer – 6
Less effective off the right-hand side. Quiet outing by his usual lofty standards.
Jack Grealish – 8
Provided a welcome balance to England’s attack following the kamikaze approach against Greece. Took his goal well and helped keep possession during the second half.
Harry Kane – 6
Typically involved in the side’s build-up but struggled to impose himself on the contest. Subbed with 20 minutes left after failing to register a shot on target.
Ollie Watkins (sub) – 7
Put himself about during his late cameo and claimed a deserved assist for Rice’s goal. Fell asleep at the corner for Finland’s consolation.
Noni Madueke (sub) – 7
Lively off the bench and injected a much-needed sense of urgency just as the game started to go stale.
Phil Foden (sub) – 6
Rico Lewis (sub) – 6
