Harry Winks, Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford and Mason Mount hand England a 4-0 victory in Kosovo
Monday 18 November 2019 09:46, UK
England completed their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign with a 4-0 victory over Kosovo, as Harry Winks netted his first senior international goal, before Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford and Mason Mount completed the scoring with a flurry of late strikes.
Nick Pope - 6
Given his chance from the start for the first time, this was confirmation that Nick Pope is currently England's No 2. His handling was exemplary, taking one shot that bounced awkwardly just in front of him in his stride. Despite Kosovo looking threatening on the attack, they didn't create any clear-cut chances, meaning Pope was not needed to showcase his shot-stopping abilities.
Trent Alexander-Arnold - 5
This was not Trent Alexander-Arnold's best display in an England shirt. At times he was caught out defensively and the nature of the game stopped him getting forward as much as he would have liked - one awful cross in the second half rather summed up his display. The 20-year-old also started in the win over Montenegro and is in possession of the shirt, but he'll need to up his game when England are expected to face tougher opposition in March.
Harry Maguire - 6
Maguire is one of a handful of players pretty much guaranteed his spot in the England side and he looked calmer than his centre-back partner at the back defensively. Southgate might have wanted him to carry the ball out of the defence more regularly, especially in the first half when England lacked any tempo to their game.
Tyrone Mings - 5
In a battle of the giants with Kosovo and Sheffield Wednesday striker Atdhe Nuhiu, Mings did not always come out on top, fouling the big man and losing out with a header in the early stages. His distribution was notably worse than centre-back partner Maguire and Southgate is unlikely to feel like he found the answer to his defensive issues in Pristina.
Ben Chilwell - 7
Chilwell has cemented his place as England's first-choice left-back and while there weren't the assists of Thursday night, the Leicester man impressed again. Marauding runs down the left were mixed in with some strong defensive work. He forced Muric into a full-stretch save, denying him his first senior goal. Seems to have developed a nice understanding with Rashford.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - 6
In the wars early on, the sight of Oxlade-Chamberlain writhing in the floor in pain was not welcome barely five minutes into the game. But he shook the knock off and was the provider for Winks' first England goal. Southgate is a big fan of Oxlade-Chamberlain and his second strong, if not eye-catching, display of the week will surely mean he's a fixture in the squad again in 2019.
Harry Winks - 7
Allowed more freedom with Declan Rice alongside him, Winks capped off a man of the match display with the opening goal of the game. Taking the defender out of the game with his first touch from Oxlade-Chamberlain's pass, before passing the ball into the bottom corner. Southgate may have been frustrated with the amount of cynical fouls given away by the Spurs man, but that was a small mark on an otherwise accomplished performance. Barring injury, Winks will be in the Euro 2020 squad.
Declan Rice - 5
A quiet game for Rice and there are certainly question marks over whether he is of international quality yet, as he was overshadowed by Winks. One fine piece of covering to block a Milot Rashica shot stood out, as Nick Pope had lost his footing and Rashica had the chance to pull a goal back.
Callum Hudson-Odoi - 5
The highlight was a winding run on 30 minutes, which saw him eventually work space for a shot with some neat close-control. But on the whole, it was a frustrating evening for Hudson-Odoi, making just his second England start. There were too many occasions when he gave the ball away and he faces a battle to make the squad, which has just 180 minutes of international football before the Euro 2020 squad is named and Sterling, Rashford and Sancho all ahead of him currently.
Harry Kane - 7
If Thursday was a fill-your-boots game for Kane, the clash with Kosovo was a much-more frustrating affair. Did that stop Kane from finding the back of the net? Of course it didn't. He hit the post midway through the second half, before pouncing at the back post to double England's lead with a neat finish. That was his 12th in the eight qualifying games, as he became the first England player to score in every game of a qualifying campaign. He also set up Mount's late goal.
Raheem Sterling - 6
A testing international break ended with positives for Sterling. He wasn't able to affect the match as much as he would have wanted for much of the game, forcing Muric into the first save of the night on 15 minutes and trying one trick too many when it looked like he should be finishing after the break. But his cross was deflected to the back post for Kane to score, before he set up Marcus Rashford.
Marcus Rashford - 7
On for the final 30 minutes and immediately injected life into the second-half performance. He linked up with Chilwell on the left-hand edge of the box moments after coming on, before a fantastic finish made it 3-0. Without taking a touch, he stroked Sterling's pass beyond Muric and into the bottom corner.
Mason Mount - 7
A fairly quiet substitute performance, before Mount pounced on a mistake at the back to sweep home his first senior goal for England. A memorable moment for the Chelsea midfielder and, no doubt, the first of many.
Fikayo Tomori - 6
On for the final six minutes as a right-back, Tomori had little to do. That versatility could earn him a spot in the squad come the summer.
