Republic of Ireland
Caoimhín Kelleher Great save to deny Kane from point-blank range in the first half. The Liverpool goalkeeper was well beaten for both goals but kept things respectable. 7
Séamus Coleman Up for the fight but lack of pace these days was badly exposed by Gordon. Had to come off after Maguire accidentally trod on him. 5
Nathan Collins Brilliant block to deny Kane early on but couldn’t do anything to stop Rice from scoring. A busy afternoon for the Brentford defender. 6
Dara O’Shea Back in the Premier League after joining Ipswich from Burnley and showed signs of his ability on the ball as Ireland improved in the second half. 6
Matt Doherty The Wolves wing-back struggled to cope with the marauding Grealish and Gordon and rarely had a chance to get forward. 4
Jayson Molumby Managed to get one up on Grealish early on and then headed over from a corner. The West Brom midfielder was second best after that. 5
Will Smallbone Totally outclassed and out-thought by Rice. The Southampton midfielder was chasing shadows for much of the afternoon. 4
Robbie Brady Had his hands full keeping Saka quiet down the right. Still has a wicked set-piece delivery but only had sparing opportunities to show it. 5
Chiedozie Ogbene One of the few bright sparks for Ireland. New Ipswich signing has bundles of pace and caused England problems down their left flank. 7
Adam Idah Laboured in attack and the Celtic player could not direct the only real chance that fell to him on target during the first half. 5
Sammie Szmodics Saw shot saved by Pickford early on but lost his cool when needlessly fouling Gordon. Missed a great chance to pull one back. 5
Substitutes
Jake O’Brien (for Coleman 57) Settled things down for Ireland on only his second senior appearance. Booked. 6
Jason Knight (for Doherty 57) Outpaced Gordon in a dangerous break. 6
Alan Brown (for Smallbone 75) N/A
Kasey McAteer (for Idah 75) N/A
Evan Ferguson (for Brady 82) N/A
England
Jordan Pickford Good save early on to deny Szmodics. Not much to do otherwise apart from running to check on Everton teammate Coleman’s injury. 7
Trent Alexander-Arnold Showed how dangerous he can be. Brilliant pass was catalyst for opening goal and he dictated the tempo when stepping into midfield. 8
Marc Guéhi Composed and calm as ever, he rarely put a foot wrong despite starting in an unfamiliar position to Maguire’s right. 7
Harry Maguire Back in the fold after missing Euro 2024 with injury. Looked short of match fitness but always provides a threat from set pieces. 7
Levi Colwill Adapted well to his hybrid role as England switched to a back three in possession. Gave the defence a nice balance and looked assured on the ball. 7
Declan Rice A brilliant finish and set the tone for England throughout. Enjoyed more licence to get forward and also provided the assist for Grealish’s goal. 9
Kobbie Mainoo Booked for a late challenge on Ogbene but looked assured in his deeper central role and gave England a secure platform to attack from. 7
Jack Grealish Heated early on after tempers flared but seemed to thrive on being pantomime villain. No holding back on celebrations for his goal. 8
Bukayo Saka Not quite up to the high standards he has set so far this season, although the Arsenal forward almost got his reward with a late goal. 7
Harry Kane Missed two chances in the first half and will be disappointed he didn’t extend his goalscoring record. Caused problems by dropping deep. 7
Anthony Gordon A lively presence down the left flank and showed that he could be a long-term contender for that side of England’s attack. 7
Substitutes
Morgan Gibbs-White (for Grealish 77) Mesmerising pass with outside of boot on his debut. 7
Angel Gomes (for Mainoo 77) Took up intelligent positions. 7
Eberechi Eze (for Gordon 77) Couldn’t direct follow-up header on target. 6
Jarrod Bowen (for Kane 84) Almost scored twice late on. 6
John Stones (for Maguire 84) N/A
