Palmer starts as England take care of business against Finland, 3-1

10/13/2024 02:10 PM

Back on track

After a shock defeat against Greece on Thursday at Wembley, the England national team responded with a solid performance and win in Finland on Sunday.

Cole Palmer kept his place, but manager Lee Carsley opted for a more coherent formation, helped in part by the return of striker Harry Kane, who missed the last game through injury. (Though it's not like England don't have another striker or two that they could've plugged in just as easily before: hi Ollie Watkins and Dominic Solanke!) Noni Madueke came on for Palmer midway through the second half; Levi Colwill was an unused substitute.

Jack Grealish got England on the board just past the quarter-hour mark, and while England had to wait until well into the second half to double their lead, the lead never felt too precarious. Trent Alexander-Arnold (by way of a great free kick) and Declan Rice would then chip in with goals to make sure of the win, before Arttu Hoskonen got a late consolation for the hosts.

Lee Carsley appeared to withdraw himself from consideration for the job full-time after the Greece defeat, but he now has three wins from his four games in charge and has at least shown a willingness to try some new things (and has a personal connection with all the young players from his time as under-21 coach). The Three Lions could do worse...