Phil Foden awful, Myles Lewis-Skelly wows – England player ratings v Albania
Thomas Tuchel ended his first game as England coach with a narrow 2-0 win over Albania at Wembley Stadium.
The Three Lions had multiple chances to prize open the Albania defence before a beautiful through-ball from Real Madrid and England star Jude Bellingham found debutant Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Having earned his first international call-up thanks to some stellar performances for Arsenal, the 18-year-old was confident enough to slot under Thomas Strakosha as Wembley erupted.
Following a dominant second-half display, albeit with the visitors creating a couple of clear-cut chances, Harry Kane eventually wrapped up the three points as Tuchel’s side took one step closer to World Cup 2026.
Thomas Tuchel wraps up first England victory against Albania
Jordan Pickford – 5
A couple of rocky moments in between the sticks to start the game, with miscommunication with Dan Burn almost leading to a comical own goal. Watched on from afar for most of the game.
Kyle Walker – 6
The 34-year-old showed no signs of slowing down on the international stage, with his loan move to AC Milan clearly paying off under Sergio Conceicao. Likely to be Tuchel’s first-choice right-back.
Ezri Konsa – 7
Remained strong at the back, bringing his Aston Villa form to the England camp, even making a vital tackle late in the second half as Albania attempted a comeback at Wembley.
Dan Burn – 6
Made the most of his debut, being a real goal threat from set-piece situations, and was unlucky not to see the back of the net bulge with two separate chances. Was caught out a couple of times because of his pace.
| Myles Lewis-Skelly v Albania | Stats, as per FotMob |
| Minutes played | 89 |
| Passing accuracy | 93% (69/74) |
| Shot accuracy | 100% (1/1) |
| Ground duels won | 100% (3/3) |
| Fouls won | 2 |
Myles Lewis-Skelly (Off for Reece James 90′) – 9 – Man of the Match
Wow, where did that come from? Netted the opener to get Wembley rocking, and if any supporters still questioned Tuchel as head coach, those concerned were quickly silenced as England’s full-back continued to race up and down the field.
Curtis Jones (Off for Morgan Rogers 74′) – 6
A very mature display from the Liverpool midfielder, proving exactly why he can accompany Declan Rice in the middle of the field and allow Jordan Henderson to take a backseat on the Three Lions’ bench.
Declan Rice runs the Three Lions’ midfield at Wembley Stadium
Declan Rice (Off for Jordan Henderson 82′) – 8
An even more accomplished display from the Arsenal man, topping the night off with the assist for Kane’s late goal to seal all three points. Rarely stepped out of line, stayed accurate with the ball at his feet and never looked like losing the ball, all while creating chances. He can do it all.
Phil Foden (Off for Jarrod Bowen 74′) – 2
Horrific. Stank the place out. An extremely disappointing night for Foden, who has been almost invisible for Man City this season. Barely made an impact in the final third before being replaced by Bowen, which was expected.
Jude Bellingham – 7
Created one or two chances for the Three Lions but was a lot quieter than many may have expected in a free-flowing Tuchel side. Was denied twice in the first half and struggled to make as much of an impact after half-time.
Harry Kane bags customary England goal
Marcus Rashford (Off for Anthony Gordon 74′) – 5
Marcus Rashford is already a loved figure at Aston Villa, but he could not quite recreate the same performances in his first England cap in a year after being handed a surprise start. Lots of bursts of energy but no end product, sadly.
Harry Kane – 8
Bagged his customary goal on international duty, putting his goalscoring practice with Bayern Munich to good use to seal all three points for England. Was involved all over the pitch, winning duels, and just being a constant threat in the final third.
Substitutes
Anthony Gordon (On for Rashford 74′) – 5
Worrying signs after going down on the turf at full-time. Couldn’t offer much while in pain.
Jarrod Bowen (On for Foden 74′) – 5
Was accurate with the ball when he had it, though 16 minutes was not enough to do much.
Morgan Rogers (On for Jones 74′) – 4
Saw the ball even less than Bowen, struggling to make any sort of impact.
Jordan Henderson (On for Rice 82′) – N/A
Reece James (On for Lewis-Skelly 90′) – N/A