England ratings: 'The force is with him', 'beautiful goal', versatile defender and much-needed assist

A Monday night in Newcastle represented a penultimate chance for England’s Euro 2024 hopefuls to press their case before Gareth Southgate selects his final 26-man squad.

Jordan Pickford – got a free ticket to the match and escaped much personal abuse from fans who started singing "Sunderland get battered everywhere they go" in the second half 6

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Ezri Konsa – played three defensive positions and posed a threat at set pieces, albeit he could not convert any. A good night for him 7

Lewis Dunk – chided by Pickford for a scruffy bit of first-half defending, his only black mark but the margins are tight. Came off as a precuation 5

Marc Guehi – being asked to play on the left of central defensive looked promising for him but he picked up a booking and played a sloppy pass across his back line 4

Kieran Trippier – showed he can be relied upon again after a dodgy patch of form in the second half of the season 7

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Trent Alexander-Arnold – some wonderful passes, especially at the start of the second half, and a beautiful goal when he moved to right-back 8

EYE-CATCHING: Eberechi EzeEYE-CATCHING: Eberechi Eze
EYE-CATCHING: Eberechi Eze

Conor Gallagher – a good energetic performance doing his defensive work and getting forward too 7

Jarod Bowen – posed a threat and was willing to take his man on 7

Cole Palmer – the force is with him, as his first international goal underlined 9

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Eberechi Eze – electrifying left-wing performance before he came off 8

Ollie Watkins – could have gone down early on but his honesty left him with a difficult chance he could not convert 6

Substitutes:

Jarrad Branthwaite (for Guehi, 62) – picked up a booking on his England debut 4

Adam Wharton (for Trippier, 62) – another Three Lions debut 5

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James Maddison (for Palmer, 6) – tidy but Palmer had raised the bar for him to make the squad 5

Jack Grealish (for Eze, 62) – a lovely ball in for Alexander-Arnold's goal and he needed it after Eze's cameo 6

Harry Kane (for Watkins, 62) – excellence comes as standard from England's most prolific goalscorer of all time 6

Joe Gomez (for Dunk, 73) – not his fault but little for him to do when he came on 5

Not used: Ramsdale, Quansah, Rice, Toney, Jones, Henderson, Trafford.

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