England player ratings vs. Greece: two 8s and one 9 as Everton & Liverpool men among best in vital win

England earned a measure of revenge for a humbling defeat at Wembley by beating Greece 3-0 in Athens last night, but the game was considerably more even than the final scoreline suggested – this was a good test for a young and relatively experimental side, and one that they ultimately passed.

With nine players withdrawing from the squad (much to Harry Kane’s chagrin) and others, such as John Stones, Kobbie Mainoo and Luke Shaw, unavailable through injury, this was a chance for many of Lee Carsley’s Young Lions to prove their worth. Three players made their Three Lions debut on Thursday night and plenty of fringe players got some valuable minutes – but who shone, and who struggled on the international stage?

We’ve rated every England player’s performance out of 10 below, and offered up our thoughts on which players will have forced themselves into incoming head coach Thomas Tuchel’s thinking for the upcoming World Cup qualification campaign.

Jordan Pickford – 9/10

There are two Jordan Pickfords, as everyone who watches Premier League football knows. At Wembley, we saw the frantic, flapping version, making mistakes and losing his cool and composure as the misjudgements mounted. In Athens, however, we saw the goalkeeper who made England’s number one jersey his own. Of his five saves, two stood out as especially excellent – a sharp reflex save at the near post from Kostas Tsimikas in the first half, and then when he reacted quickly to tip Fotis Ioannidis’ powerful effort round the post. This was Pickford at his best.

Rico Lewis – 7/10

As a left-back in the first half, Lewis’ performance only served to prove once again that having two right-footed players down the left flank doesn’t really work, not that he put a foot wrong. At club level, Lewis has established himself as one of the most reliable and efficient passers in the top flight, hardly ever misplacing the ball or conceding possession – and against Greece, he completed every single pass that he attempted, won every ground duel, and even popped up in the box to force a save from Odysseas Vlachodimos. His future is surely either in midfield or on the right, where he played in the second half, however.

Marc Guéhi – 8/10

The Crystal Palace centre-back hasn’t found his best form since becoming embroiled in a lengthy summer transfer saga but looked much more like his old self here. His anticipation and positioning were excellent once more, he was in total control with the ball at his feet, and he gave very little up in the air or on the ground. Greece didn’t threaten down England’s left-hand channels very much, and were only able to threaten in front of Guéhi. Bypassing him never appeared to become an option.

Ezri Konsa – 6/10

Konsa was taken off at half-time after picking up a knock, apparently to his hip, which means he didn’t get as much of a chance as he might have liked to stake a claim for a regular spot going forward. What he did do was solid enough – like Lewis, he ended the night with a 100% pass completion rate – but he didn’t really have any chances to make a telling defensive contribution. Seldom tested one-on-one, he ended his 45 minutes of football without making a single tackle, clearance, interception or blocked shot and he didn’t win a single ball in the air. A quiet night.

Kyle Walker – 6/10

Given the captain’s armband with Kane unexpectedly left on the bench, Walker played the first half at right-back, where he was entirely solid without making many telling contributions in the final third, and then the second half at centre-back in place of Konsa. There he was solid enough but did occasionally allow opposing players to slip away from him, allowing a couple of shooting opportunities and committing a couple of fouls. Perhaps not a captain’s performance, per se, but solid enough from the veteran.

Curtis Jones – 8/10

His goal, a magnificent improvised flick with the instep into the far corner, was a glorious way to cap a good debut outing for the Liverpool man, who looked typically composed in possession throughout and consistently used the ball well. The question mark is whether Jones is really a holding midfielder, as he was asked to be by Carsley – he made four successful tackles without giving away a foul, which was a start, but there were times when he got dragged out of position a little too easily and Greece did find pockets of space in front of the defence with a certain regularity, especially in an extended spell of pressure in the second half. This was a good game on an individual level, by any standards, but tactically he did look a little uncomfortable having been asked to play against type.

Conor Gallagher – 7/10

A typically bustling and energetic performance from the former Chelsea man, who like Jones sometimes felt like he was being played out of position in a slightly deeper role behind Jude Bellingham. Nevertheless, his passing was crisp enough with a couple of nice deliveries into dangerous areas, and he hassled and harried Greece’s midfielders effectively enough.

Jude Bellingham – 7/10

The Real Madrid man, now the third best player in the entire world according to Ballon d’Or voters, didn’t get as involved as Carsley would perhaps have liked and wasn’t quite at his best when he did – England would want their golden boy to have more than 66 touches in a match, and for him to do better with those touches than to concede 13 times from those touches. But he still showed flashes of his excellence, hitting the woodwork with two shots, one of which fortuitously bounced back into the goal off of Vlachodimos, the moment which took the sting out of what had been a lively Greece side and effectively sealed the game.

Noni Madueke – 7/10

The thing that really stands out when watching the Chelsea winger is just how remarkably fast his feet are. Plenty of wingers can shift the ball quickly from one foot to the other, but Madueke can flip the ball from right to left and shoot with a rapidity few defenders can follow. He assisted the first goal with a lovely piece of play inside the box and tested the goalkeeper again shortly afterwards. England didn’t get the ball to him as often as they should have done, and Walker didn’t offer him enough overlaps to allow him to really stretch the defence, but he looked sharp and dangerous whenever he was given the chance to run at Tsimikas. He may have to wait patiently for chances with Bukayo Saka in the side, but he looks more than good enough for the Three Lions.

Anthony Gordon – 5/10

This wasn’t really Gordon’s night, although a lack of support on the outside made his life much harder. Gordon was as energetic as ever but couldn’t find a way to make a difference, his one shot charged down and all but one of his crosses into the box wayward. Lots of huff and puff, but nobody’s house was blown down on Thursday night.

Ollie Watkins – 7/10

The strike against Watkins as the best alternative to Kane is that he hasn’t yet found ways to link up with the players around him effectively at international level, and to integrate himself into the build-up. But on the other hand, while Watkins only touched the ball 17 touches on Thursday evening, how much does that matter if you score? Watkins held his position well to score from Madueke’s sharp cut-back and while that was essentially the first and last thing of note that he did, it still represents a striker doing the most important job asked of him.

Lewis Hall (on for Konsa) – 6/10

Finally, a fit and healthy option for a left-footed left-back has emerged in the shape of Newcastle United’s Hall, whose form at club level has been wildly impressive this season. Seemingly asked not to get forward too much (or just pinned back during Greece’s best spell of the match), we didn’t see the best of Hall, which is his passing and running on and off the ball, but aside from a frantic moment on the edge of the area which led to a half-chance, Hall looked solid and well within his comfort zone, and did a good job of sweeping up the occasional long passes that found his way to his part of the pitch. A decent debut.

Jarrod Bowen (on for Madueke) – 5/10

Given how influential he is for West Ham United these days, it remains a little surprising that Carsley hadn’t seen him as a player worth including in the original squad – but Bowen didn’t really make an argument to the contrary during his short spell on the field, failing to make a telling difference in the final third and committing a couple of fouls when trying to do the hard yards in deeper areas.

Morgan Rogers (on for Gordon) – 6/10

The third and final debutant, Rogers didn’t really manage to make a mark on proceedings in the short time he was given. He bustled up and down the left side and did his level best to get involved, but only had the opportunity to put boot to ball 10 times, which isn’t really sufficient to give us an idea of what he could offer England going forward.

Harry Kane (on for Watkins) – 5/10

If Kane was keen to make a point to Carsley after being dropped to the bench, he didn’t do so. Unlike Watkins, he knows how and when to drop back in behind the wide forwards to create space and join the build-up, but he wasn’t able to find one of his dangerous passes or to provide an option in the penalty area. Still, it’s Harry Kane, England’s greatest-ever goalscorer. We don’t really need to know what he’s capable of.

Morgan Gibbs-White (on for Gallagher) – 7/10

There’s only so much a player can do with a 15-minute cameo, and Gibbs-White only touched the ball six times – but as it happens, one of those six touches was an assist, with a well-timed and angled run giving him the opportunity to pull it back to Jones for that luscious backheel. What more can you ask for from a player dropped into the fray for the closing minutes?