England player ratings from the 3-0 win over Czechia: Kane equals caps record, extends goals record
England are all but certain to take their place in the Nations League quarter-finals after a routine 3-0 win over Czechia made it three wins from three (aggregate score: 12-0) since the entertaining but annoying 3-2 defeat to Spain, which now seems about 400 years ago.
Not for the first time, this was an England night that belonged to Harry Kane as he equalled Peter Shilton’s caps record and put another couple of goals between him and everyone else to have scored for the Three Lions. He’s nine away from his century of goals that don’t count now.
Here’s how we rated Kane and the rest of the lads at Wembley.
Jordan Pickford
Is under more pressure as England’s No. 1 goalkeeper than at any time since 2018 thanks to James Trafford’s form and Thomas Tuchel giving the Leeds keeper the first two games of this break. But Pickford has returned for the final two games as promised, using all his nous and experience to play in two games where he had absolutely f*ck all to do. Canny.
Trent Alexander-Arnold
It is now 16 months since he played for England against anyone other than Czechia. If that’s a specialist role that Thomas Tuchel sees for him, then he’s got problems. Played well enough to suggest that is not in fact the case.
Lewis Hall
Another fine performance from perhaps England’s biggest winner of the break. He’s been excellent in each of the last three games, and the fact he did it here without the advantage of having his old mate Anthony Gordon running the left wing in front of him is another big tick for the Newcastle man. It’s a position that has been waiting for so long for someone to come along and grab it. Hall has certainly made a case over the last 10 days.
Jarell Quansah
A man whose main job for England is to fill in on whichever flank the manager currently finds himself sans full-back got a rare chance to play in his actual position and did it perfectly well against limited opposition. Has done himself no harm at all through this break, and it was nice to see him get a game in his preferred spot as a little treat.
Marc Guehi
Has been back to his assured best in the last couple of games after a shaky start to the interlull against Spain and in Prague. This was all very easy, though.
Elliot Anderson
The finish, blazed over the bar having been teed up by Morgan Rogers, was deeply disappointing but the significance was that Anderson had made that move into the penalty area at all. This was a move begun by Harry Kane in full quarterback mode, and Anderson did what a midfielder must in those situations.
Had cut a frustrating figure for much of the first half despite doing his usual tidy job before a proper highlight-reel moment with his pass to release Morgan Rogers in the build-up to Kane’s goal.
Absurd to think we are only 15 months on from his debut. It’s impossible now to imagine England without him ticking the midfield over.
Myles Lewis-Skelly
Left Thomas Tuchel visibly annoyed with a silly booking that puts him out of next month’s Croatia game. Moments later, a wonderful pirouetting turn set an England attack in motion that ended with Harry Kane hitting the crossbar. Barely a minute apart, those two moments were the standout for bad and then good in a tidy midfield display. But when Alex Scott is fit again, one does wonder just how far down the midfield pecking order he sits. And he is clearly now viewed entirely as that by Tuchel
Eberechi Eze
Made slightly the wrong run for the opening goal, hanging bacbut Vladimir Coufal decided to just kick it in his own net anyway, so no harm done. Was conspicuously the quietest of England’s starting front four but really grew in influence and confidence through the second half as others made way. Was having lots of fun by the end, but doubts remain over the end product in an attacking group currently producing an awful lot of end product. You don’t get to play against Spurs for England, sadly.
Jude Bellingham
Produced the standout moment of a vaguely frustrating opening 25 minutes for England with an outrageous pass to spring Morgan Rogers clear on the right. Played a very different but equally effective pass moments later as England turned the screw just before the opening goal.
Not his best performance of the last fortnight, which itself is something of a compliment because he was very good indeed. As he now pretty much always seems to be for England. Almost scored with a deft flick in the second half, but it led to the corner from which selfish ol’ Harry Kane got his 91st goal.
Morgan Rogers
Should have done more when played away down the right by an outrageous Jude Bellingham crossfield ping, but absolutely did do much better with a superb first-time cross to set up Harry Kane’s 90th England goal after being equally well picked out by Elliot Anderson. Another fine cross in the second half was almost flicked home by Bellingham, and overall you’d have to say this was probably Rogers’ most satisfying personal performance in England colours.
Harry Kane
Marked his England record-equalling 125th cap by extending his record goal tally to 91 having had a hand in all three England goals because of course he did. Goal 90 was a wonderful one to complete a one-touch move also involving Elliot Anderson and Morgan Rogers, with 91 a classic striker’s header from a corner. Before all that he created the first goal with a teasing low cross from the right wing. Classic Kane. We still don’t know what Vladimir Coufal had seen to make him smack the ball into his own net under no pressure, mind.
Kane popped up in midfield a minute after that to instigate an attack that ended with Elliot Anderson shooting high over the bar when he should have done so much better. Also missed one attack altogether because he set the ball quite literally rolling from centre-back. Absurd footballer, who spent much of the second half trying to complete the highest tariff pass he could manage and also smacked the crossbar from 20 yards at the end of another daft England move.
Six goals in this break put him two clear of anyone else in the all-important Nations League A scoring chart.
Substitutes
James Garner (for Anderson, 64)
A bit of a go in midfield before finishing the game at left-back for a much-changed side that conspicuously still includes Lewis-Skelly in midfield. This appears to be James Garner’s lot in international football.
Jarrad Branthwaite (for Guehi, 64)
Interesting to see a change at centre-back when England were already without Ezri Konsa, but Guehi has had a very busy international break physically and mentally, so no harm in giving him a few minutes off at the end of it with the job done. And if nothing else, Branthwaite’s introduction has Famous England Ladder implications, and we know Thomas Tuchel thinks about little else.
Morgan Gibbs-White (for Hall, 73)
He’s such a wonderful player, yet one apparently condemned to spend his England career in perfunctory low-wattage cameos in games long done as a contest and spectacle.
Rio Ngumoha (for Bellingham, 73)
Thomas Tuchel is clearly a big fan of the 18-year-old with an extremely bright future.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin (for Kane, 82)
It’s still all you get as Harry Kane’s England understudy, even after all this time.
