Morgan Rogers flops, Arsenal star is 8/10: England player ratings vs Serbia
Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze produced moments of quality to earn England all three points against Serbia, as stars fought once more to impress manager Thomas Tuchel.
England thrashed Serbia 5-0 in the reverse fixture in the group, before the Three Lions went on to secure their passage to the World Cup next summer.
Tuchel elected not to experiment with his side at Wembley, with the former Chelsea manager naming a strong team to face the Serbians.
Saka netted the opening goal of the contest in the first half, before Eze sealed the three points in the 90th minute, with Serbia producing little threat going forward despite their desperate need for points.
Nico O’Reilly makes England debut
Jordan Pickford – 6
Had little to do against the Serbians, as the visitors registered just one shot on target.
Reece James – 6
Solid in the little defensive work he had to do. If the Chelsea defender can stay fit he looks the best option to start at right-back. Lovely flick to send Jude Bellingham away in the penalty area in the second half.
John Stones – 6
Saw plenty of the ball, and as expected was comfortable in possession. Not a regular starter for Man City this season so a welcome run out for the 31-year-old.
Ezri Konsa – 7
Kept pace with Dusan Vlahovic in an early test for the Aston Villa defender. Looked assured and solid defensively.
Nico O’Reilly – 7
Making his senior England debut after shining in Man City’s 3-0 win over Liverpool, Nico O’Reilly continued his fine form against Serbia.
Jamie O’Hara has already backed O’Reilly to make the left-back spot his own after Arsenal‘s Myles Lewis-Skelly missed out on this squad.
Bukayo Saka stands out amongst attacking stars
Elliot Anderson (Off for Wharton 85′) – 7
Dictated the play in the middle of the park from deep before adventuring forward when Jordan Henderson came on. Another good performance in an England shirt.
Declan Rice (Off for Henderson 65′) – 7
A rare misstep from Declan Rice when one of his corners failed to beat the first man, before one of his next set-pieces perfectly found the head of Harry Kane. Burst forward well on a couple of occasions to support the attack.
Bukayo Saka – 8
Sharply cut inside on his left foot on a couple of occasions from the right flank, before he superbly side footed a strike past the reach of the goalkeeper. A fine display.
Morgan Rogers (Off for Bellingham 65′) – 5
Fairly quiet for the large amount of possession England had, Tuchel may have wanted more creative influence in the number 10 role from Morgan Rogers.
Marcus Rashford (Off for Eze 64′) – 6
One good chance when he shot straight at the goalkeeper, and his end product was not at its best, but the Barcelona winger was lively and looked a threat.
Harry Kane (Off for Foden 65′) – 6
Dropped deep and sprayed a couple of lovely passes around the pitch. Missed a huge chance to head home England’s second goal from a corner.
Jude Bellingham eager to impress
Substitutes
Eberechi Eze (On for Rashford 64′) – 7
Scored with a stunning strike into the roof of the net. A fine finish as he hopes to force his way into Tuchel’s XI.
Phil Foden (On for Kane 65′) – 5
Appeared in the false number nine role after Kane’s departure, and had one good chance when he connected, but could not convert on target, with Henderson’s cross.
Jordan Henderson (On for Rice 65′) – 5
Took the captain’s armband and ensured England kept disciplined and organised to take all three points.
Jude Bellingham (On for Rogers 65′) – 6
Had a point to prove amid Rogers starting in the number 10 role over him. Was instantly involved in the attacking play when he came onto the pitch.
Andy Wharton (On for Anderson 85′) – 5
Little time for the midfielder to make an impact on the game.