Anthony Gordon has made himself indispensable for England, two and a half years after his debut. He is now one of the first names on the team sheet and proved it again with a sensational performance in the Fortuna Arena. Gordon has gone up a level since the World Cup and joining Barcelona in the summer, looking a fully fledged superstar.
Gordon made his first senior start against Brazil in March 2024, flopped at the Euros, but seized his opportunity in the United States last summer. This felt more like the England expected under Thomas Tuchel, with a much-needed clean sheet and the obligatory Harry Kane goal. Even when England's captain looks a bit below-par, he still scores. This made it 87 goals in 123 caps, and Kane is on course to equal Peter Shilton's caps record in this round of Nations League fixtures.
England Overcome Ten-Man Czech Republic
After the disappointment of Spain, England were much better, even if it took a while to break down ten-man Czech Republic's stubborn resistance after midfielder Pavel Sulc was sent off after just 25 minutes. They did not exactly purr, but when they needed a bit of extra quality, Trent Alexander-Arnold stepped forward on his first start for England in two years. Alexander-Arnold's cross set up Gordon for the 47th-minute opener, and once the resistance was broken, there was no way back and victory was England's.
That puts England's Nations League campaign back on track ahead of Croatia on Saturday, and you could see their old flow and style coming back after a ragged first half. The Manchester City story was the only story in town, and it is naive to think it has not been the talk of the England dressing room.
City Distractions and Early Chances
It looked like a few City players were struggling against Spain at Wembley on Saturday, as Marc Guehi and Nico O'Reilly both made errors leading to two goals. This time, Elliot Anderson set a sloppy early tone for England's defending again, losing the ball and allowing Sulc to scamper clear. It was only England keeper James Trafford who stopped the Czech midfielder with a brave block.
England should have gone ahead after 16 minutes and will still be wondering how they did not score. Morgan Rogers' shot hit the post, Harry Kane could not sort his feet out, Anderson's follow-up was blocked, and then Bukayo Saka wasted the biggest opening of all. The game changed after 25 minutes. Sulc was initially booked for an awful challenge, raking down the back of Anderson's Achilles, but referee Umut Meler upgraded it to a red card after checking the VAR screen.
Gordon and Kane Seal the Win
Tuchel rolled the dice at half time by bringing on Eberechi Eze for Myles Lewis-Skelly, who had been booked, to give England more attacking drive from midfield. England did not take long to take charge. Within two minutes of the restart, they were ahead, courtesy of Alexander-Arnold and the best player on the pitch. Alexander-Arnold's cross from the right was exquisite and found Gordon running in to stoop low and place a perfect header into the far corner. That is six goals in 27 caps, and they are flowing now, with two in as many games.
Alex Scott came on for his debut. Then England got their second after 69 minutes. The ball broke loose, and there was Kane to drive a low shot into the far corner to wrap up the win.
