Harry Kane netted yet again as England rounded off their World Cup qualifying group with a 1-0 win in Lithuania, but it was another uninspiring performance from Gareth Southgate’s side. Here’s how we rated the London contingent.
Kieran Trippier: 6
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Playing instead of his former club colleague Kyle Walker, the Tottenham man was neat and tidy on the right but might have offered more going forward against such limited opposition.
Harry Winks: 7
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An encouraging England debut for the young Tottenham midfielder. During a cautious start he showed some nice touches which will have settled any nerves, and from there he moved up a gear, showing his nice range of passing in a positive display. A quality cross almost dropped to Dele Alli and a lovely ball down the right-hand channel led to a chance for Marcus Rashford in the first half. And in the second he nearly scored with a left-footed shot that was well saved.
Dele Alli: 6
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A low-key performance in a low-key game. Won the penalty which led to the game’s only goal, reacting quickly to make sure he got to Jordan Henderson’s pass, but generally the Spurs playmaker was crowded out in a congested midfield before being taken off with 10 minutes remaining. He did miss a good chance to score when he misdirected a header from Henderson’s second-half cross.
Aaron Cresswell: 7
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The West Ham wide-man was heavily involved in the second half. A cross from the left led to Winks’ shot, another almost led to a chance for Harry Maguire, and Cresswell almost scored when he saw a far-post header from Henderson’s cross saved. Has plenty of competition for a place but does not look out of place on the international stage and is a good option for England.
Harry Kane: 7
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Scored the winner, firing in his penalty off the post – the Spurs striker’s seventh goal in his last six internationals and his 12th in 23 appearances for his country. It was an otherwise frustrating game for Kane, who linked play nicely but was starved of service as England again laboured. He saw one deflected shot flash wide and other over the bar.
