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England vs Nigeria, player ratings: Who put their hand up for a starting role at the World Cup?
2 June 2018 • 7:23pm
Harry Kane continued his scoring streak as England captain but Gareth Southgate's side made heavy work of beating Nigeria in their final Wembley outing before the World Cup.
England took the lead inside seven minutes courtesy of Gary Cahill's headed effort and Kane doubled the advantage before the break, when modest goalkeeping allowed him to hit the net for the sixth time in five appearances with the armband.
But what might have turned into a walk in the park against a side ranked 47th in the world became a tense 2-1 victory as Arsenal's Alex Iwobi struck less than two minutes into the second half, robbing the hosts of their composure.
Who impressed and who disappointed? Here are our player ratings from the Wembley clash:
Jordan Pickford 6/10
He has emerged as, presumably, Gareth Southgate’s No 1 although there was little opportunity to prove his worth apart from a smattering of routine saves which he dealt with comfortably. Had little chance with Nigeria’s goal.
Kieran Trippier 7/10
Catapulted into a starting wing-back berth although who would have thought he would also be such a dead-ball specialist? An early free-kick won a corner from which he himself set up the opening goal.
Kyle Walker 6/10
Has looked comfortable for the most part in a back three but badly exposed by Odion Ighalo for the Nigerian goal. His pace will help him out but still a work in progress in that role.
Kyle Walker looked comfortable in a back three Credit: getty images
John Stones 6/10
Couple of important clearances from set-pieces when England came under pressure. His height and athleticism were important and his ball-playing ability was a valuable outlet.
Gary Cahill 8/10
A late run into the England team, and possibly not guaranteed a starting job, but his superb finish for the opening goal showed why he is ahead of his rivals in finishing, if nothing else. His experience and poise were also evident.
Ashley Young 6/10
If Southgate wants to be ambitious, Young showed he is the man for the job with a number of marauding left-wing runs, although questions remain about his defensive nous as Victor Moses showed after the break.
Eric Dier 6/10
Sat in front of the back four, and an excellent pass set up the second goal, although might have done better with a free header from a second-half corner and often drifted as Nigeria took a hold in the second half.
Jesse Lingard 6/10
Showed why this system suits his style with some direct, darting runs towards the by-line that promised much but never really delivered. Like the rest of his team, became less effective after the interval.
Raheem Sterling 6/10
His hold-up and approach play were excellent but question marks remain about his strike rate. A couple of good chances went begging but played a key role in Harry Kane’s goal. Also booked for simulation.
Raheem Sterling was booked for diving Credit: getty images
Dele Alli 7/10
Booed by the sizeable Nigerian crowd but turned in a busy display with a couple of decent passes that picked holes in the defence. Faded as the game wore on and did not connect particularly well with club mate Kane.
Harry Kane 7/10
His strike rate - one chance, one goal - shows just why he is so vital to England hopes. Also proved a strong target man for more mobile forwards to play off.
Substitutes
Similarly, Loftus-Cheek, seen by many as a “wild card” selection for Russia, was offered a brief cameo which had its moments. Rashford and Welbeck were late, like-for-like subs and the former threatened from a couple of half chances.
England vs Nigeria, player ratings: Who put their hand up for a starting role at the World Cup?
2 June 2018 • 7:23pm
Harry Kane continued his scoring streak as England captain but Gareth Southgate's side made heavy work of beating Nigeria in their final Wembley outing before the World Cup.
England took the lead inside seven minutes courtesy of Gary Cahill's headed effort and Kane doubled the advantage before the break, when modest goalkeeping allowed him to hit the net for the sixth time in five appearances with the armband.
But what might have turned into a walk in the park against a side ranked 47th in the world became a tense 2-1 victory as Arsenal's Alex Iwobi struck less than two minutes into the second half, robbing the hosts of their composure.
Who impressed and who disappointed? Here are our player ratings from the Wembley clash:
Jordan Pickford 6/10
He has emerged as, presumably, Gareth Southgate’s No 1 although there was little opportunity to prove his worth apart from a smattering of routine saves which he dealt with comfortably. Had little chance with Nigeria’s goal.
Kieran Trippier 7/10
Catapulted into a starting wing-back berth although who would have thought he would also be such a dead-ball specialist? An early free-kick won a corner from which he himself set up the opening goal.
Kyle Walker 6/10
Has looked comfortable for the most part in a back three but badly exposed by Odion Ighalo for the Nigerian goal. His pace will help him out but still a work in progress in that role.
Kyle Walker looked comfortable in a back three Credit: getty images
John Stones 6/10
Couple of important clearances from set-pieces when England came under pressure. His height and athleticism were important and his ball-playing ability was a valuable outlet.
Gary Cahill 8/10
A late run into the England team, and possibly not guaranteed a starting job, but his superb finish for the opening goal showed why he is ahead of his rivals in finishing, if nothing else. His experience and poise were also evident.
Ashley Young 6/10
If Southgate wants to be ambitious, Young showed he is the man for the job with a number of marauding left-wing runs, although questions remain about his defensive nous as Victor Moses showed after the break.
Eric Dier 6/10
Sat in front of the back four, and an excellent pass set up the second goal, although might have done better with a free header from a second-half corner and often drifted as Nigeria took a hold in the second half.
Jesse Lingard 6/10
Showed why this system suits his style with some direct, darting runs towards the by-line that promised much but never really delivered. Like the rest of his team, became less effective after the interval.
Raheem Sterling 6/10
His hold-up and approach play were excellent but question marks remain about his strike rate. A couple of good chances went begging but played a key role in Harry Kane’s goal. Also booked for simulation.
Raheem Sterling was booked for diving Credit: getty images
Dele Alli 7/10
Booed by the sizeable Nigerian crowd but turned in a busy display with a couple of decent passes that picked holes in the defence. Faded as the game wore on and did not connect particularly well with club mate Kane.
Harry Kane 7/10
His strike rate - one chance, one goal - shows just why he is so vital to England hopes. Also proved a strong target man for more mobile forwards to play off.
Substitutes
- Reuben Loftus-Cheek for Lingard (67 mins)
- Danny Rose for Young (67 mins)
- Marcus Rashford for Sterling (77 mins)
- Danny Welbeck for Kane (77 mins)
- Fabian Delph for Alli (81 mins)
Similarly, Loftus-Cheek, seen by many as a “wild card” selection for Russia, was offered a brief cameo which had its moments. Rashford and Welbeck were late, like-for-like subs and the former threatened from a couple of half chances.
