Chelsea duo lead England to Toulon Tournament crown

Matt Stead

Chelsea duo Lewis Baker and Ruben Loftus-Cheek fired England Under-21s to their first Toulon Tournament victory in 22 years in Sunday’s 2-1 win over France.

Baker claimed the tournament’s golden boot trophy with four goals across England’s first triumph in Toulon since 1994, and he headed Gareth Southgate’s side into an eighth-minute lead.

Loftus-Cheek doubled the advantage with a neat finish as England maintained control, even able to shrug off Abdou Diallo’s strike for France.

While Baker claimed the gong for finishing as top-scorer, his club and country team-mate Loftus-Cheek won the player of the tournament award.

Jamie Redknapp and Sol Campbell were among the last England squad to claim glory in Toulon. Now the class of 2016 will be eyeing similar career trajectories after securing a memorable piece of age-grade silverware.