Jacob Steinberg at the Olympiako Stadio Spyros Louis 

England player ratings: verdict on 3-0 Nations League win against Greece

Curtis Jones and Noni Madueke kickstarted their fledgling international careers with eye-catching performances
  
  

Curtis Jones
Curtis Jones was England’s man of the match. Photograph: Georgia Panagopoulou/EPA

England (4-2-3-1)

Jordan Pickford (GK): Preserved England’s lead with fine saves from Kostas Tsimikas and Fotas Ioannidis. Booked for time-wasting by an officious referee. 8/10

Kyle Walker (RB): Captained the side and offered leadership. Played as a makeshift centre-back in the second half and used his pace well. 7

Ezri Konsa (CB): Aston Villa defender did nothing wrong before being taken off at half-time. A knock seemed the likeliest explanation. 7

Marc Guéhi (CB): Kept Vangelis Pavlidis quiet before the Greece striker went off just before the hour. Made a lot of key interceptions. 8

Rico Lewis (LB): Solid on the left during the first half. Moved to the opposite flank in the second half and almost scored. 7

Conor Gallagher (CM): Had to be disciplined after seeing yellow for delaying a free-kick. Got away with some risky tackles. Assured passing. 7

Curtis Jones (CM): Confident in possession, ensuring England progressed the ball smoothly. On the half-turn and scored a beautiful flick. Brilliant debut. 9 (MOTM)

Noni Madueke (RW): Excellent early impact. Direct, bold and marked his first start by creating England’s opener. Had the beating of Tsimikas. 8

Jude Bellingham (AM): Surged, overpowering opponents. Headed against the woodwork before a driving run and shot led to Odysseas Vlachodimos’s own goal for 2-0. 8

Anthony Gordon (LW): Spent the early part of the game terrorising Lazaros Rota but needs to improve his final ball at this level. 7

Ollie Watkins (CF): Justified the call to drop Harry Kane by scoring with his first touch. Rarely involved in general play but lurked menacingly. 7

Substitutes

Lewis Hall (for Konza ht) Mature at left-back after coming on for his debut 7; Morgan Rogers (for Gordon 66) The debutant’s flick set Bellingham off for England’s second goal) 7; Morgan Gibbs-White (for Gallagher 79) Set up Jones’s goal after combining with Bowen 7; Harry Kane (for Watkins 66) 6; Jarrod Bowen (for Madueke 66) 7

 

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