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?
- Kane stole the show while Alexander-Arnold and Gomes boosted their standing
Harry Kane scored twice on his historic 100th appearance for England in Tuesday's 2-1 win over Finland as Lee Carsley made just his second outing as Three Lions boss after beating Ireland over the weekend.
Carsley made four changes to his starting squad in a bid to give opportunities to other fledgling talents within the Three Lions ranks with Man City's Rico Lewis amongst those picked.
A goalless first-half saw the hosts dominate possession in the Wembley encounter but struggle to create clear-cut chances as Three Lions fans got a first home look at their national stars since their Euro 2024 final defeat.
Kane eventually grabbed his standout moment by handling England the lead with a stunning strike in the 57th minute and later doubling their lead to seal a comfortable 2-0 victory.
Mail Sport's CRAIG HOPE gives his expert player ratings from Wembley as England record their second consecutive win under Carsley.
England dominated the Wembley encounter to seal a 2-0 Nations League victory over Finland
Three Lions skipper Harry Kane scored on his historic 100th appearance for England
Interim England manager Lee Carsley is making a good case to get the job permanently
ENGLAND (4-2-3-1)
Jordan Pickford 6
Nations League continues to be spectator sport for keeper. Mopped up one ball over top with little fuss. Cigar out, that apart.
Trent Alexander-Arnold 8
Superb ball for Kane opener and exploited space with passing showreel second half, including wonderful assist of the assist for Kane’s second.
Ezri Konsa 6.5
Steady England form continues and one lovely ball to cut open Finland backline. A shame that injury struck in the second half.
John Stones 6.5
Not really tested defensively and strolled through with few problems. Remains England’s best defender.
Rico Lewis 7
Started at left back but popped up on right wing a lot when in possession. Looks at home in England shirt and versatility can be key.
Liverpool full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold was given another show of support as he started at right-back
Manchester City youngster Rico Lewis was handed just his second senior England cap
Declan Rice produced another impressive showing after scoring in England's weekend win over Ireland
Declan Rice 6
A star in Dublin but did not break lines to same effect here. Can do more.
Angel Gomes 7
Always neat and tidy, but also threaded passes through the lines. An encouraging full debut and you can see why Carsley rates intricacy of his play.
Bukayo Saka 6
Seemed to play within himself a little - Sunday’s North London derby in mind? - but did OK, even if killer final ball was missing.
Jack Grealish 6.5
Not the marauding display from Saturday and will find place under threat when likes of Bellingham return, but saw plenty of ball and had some nice moments.
Anthony Gordon 6.5
Attacked his full-back early on and got a lot of joy. Faded a bit and should have scored when clear, but link-up with Grealish positive again.
Harry Kane 8.5
Shearer-esque finish for opener. At his very best? No. But class told and sweeping finish for second was trademark Kane. MOM.
Arsenal star Bukayo Saka continues to make important contributions to England's attack
City's Jack Grealish continues his England revival after being left out of their Euro 2024 squad
Kane struck with a powerful shot from just inside the box to give England a deserved lead
The striker was ecstatic after scoring a superb strike on his landmark appearance at Wembley
Substitutes
Levi Colwill (on for Konsa 61) 6
Noni Madueke (on for Saka 66) 6.5
Eberechi Eze (on for Gordon 66) 5
Marc Guehi (on for Stones 80) N/A
Jarrod Bowen (on for Kane 80) N/A
Manager: Lee Carsley 6.5
Not the incisive football that won plaudits in Dublin, and he’ll have 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
