England maintained their perfect record in World Cup qualifying with a fifth straight win against indomitable Serbia on a rainy night at Wembley. First-half goals from Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze were enough to secure the three points. The Three Lions had won seven of seven in Group K and had already qualified for next summer’s tournament before this game.
Despite qualification being confirmed, manager Thomas Tuchel has named a strong side for the match against Serbia as England continue to gain momentum under the German manager. Express Sport assesses and plans on England’s players achieving more wins and clean sheets…
England vs Serbia player ratings
Jordan Pickford – 6
He collapsed with muscle pain in the first half and felt anxious for a while, but continued to play and achieved 10 consecutive games without allowing a goal. Only the last 10 minutes really saw action.
Reece James – 7
He played a great cross for Morgan Rodgers and was a very reliable right-back.
Ezri Konsa – 7
He kept Dušan Vlahovic quiet, rarely missed passes, and continued to insist he should start at the World Cup.
John Stones – 7
He has not conceded a goal in an England shirt since October 2024 and has formed a good partnership with Ezri Konsa.
Nico O’Reilly – 7
His blocked low drive led to Saka’s opener, linking up well with Marcus Rashford. The Man City man didn’t look out of place defensively on his debut.
Elliot Anderson – 7
He was smart with the ball and smart off the ball. He has completed more passes than anyone on the pitch and is now considered a sure-fire starter in the United States next summer.
Declan Rice – 7
He’s great on the ball, completing 97 per cent of his passes and a lot of what this England team is good at. No one completed more key passes.
Bukayozaka – 8
He scored England’s 14th goal with a well-controlled side foot volley to make it 1-0, and was excellent from start to finish. Arsenal may not be happy that he played the full 90 games, but that suggests he won’t play more than 45 games against Albania.
Morgan Rogers – 6
James’ cross was headed just wide, but otherwise it was a bit of a quiet first half. He was involved in a great pass-and-move play in the second half before being sent off.
Marcus Rashford – 6
Nice and direct, he enjoyed attacking defenders directly, but had three modest shots at the keeper. At least it was a continuing threat. It disappeared with the sound of a knock.
Harry Kane – 6
He made some great passes but wasted a chance with a header before half-time. He will feel he should have scored. That was his only scoring chance, but he made a superb sliding tackle on the edge of his own box in the second half.
substitute
Eberechi Eze (Rashford 65) – 7
His acrobatic shot in the closing stages was saved and bounced off the crossbar before he curled a superb shot into the top corner of the goal.
Jude Bellingham (Rogers 65) – 6
This is his first appearance for England since the match against Senegal in June. He over-hit one pass that could have created a chance for Saka, and then made an important pass that led to the second move.
Phil Foden (Cain 65) – 7
After Kane’s departure, he played as a false nine. He should have scored with a header, but then assisted Eze’s goal.
Jordan Henderson (Rice 65) – 6
He stripped Kane of his captain’s armband and earned the veteran’s 88th cap. He should have scored with an assist, but Foden’s header went wide.
Adam Wharton (Anderson 85) – N/A
A belated introduction.
