Making their first appearance since opening 2022, England managed to come from behind against a tricky Switzerland on Saturday evening as they secured a 2-1 win at Wembley.
In a friendly showdown between two nations who cruised their way to this year’s World Cup finals, Gareth Southgate had made it clear that he was calling on his side to pick up a pre-tournament boost.
On an evening in the capital that saw England’s attacking talisman make even more history for the Three Lions, we have taken a look at the main talking points from an enjoyable contest at Wembley.
Kane matches Sir Bobby
While there might have been a string of alterations from Southgate here, it was never really in doubt that a free-scoring Harry Kane would once again lead England out on Saturday evening.
Despite enduring what was a frustrating start to the 2021/22 campaign, the 28-year-old has enjoyed quite the turnaround since Tottenham brought Antonio Conte back to the Premier League.
Opening Saturday’s contest after recording 11 goals in his previous 15 appearances for Spurs, the England skipper also managed to make more Three Lions history after converting the winner late on.
Awarded what was a controversial penalty on the 78th minute as Steven Zuber was adjudged to have handled the ball, Kane smashed past the helpless Jonas Omlin from 12 yards.
Eventually bagging the decider after Luke Shaw produced a thunderous strike in first-half injury-time to level the score, Kane’s strike here also means that he moved level with Sir Bobby Charlton on 49 England goals.
The Tottenham superstar now stands just four goals behind Wayne Rooney’s record of 53 and it is only a matter of time before he leapfrogs the former Manchester United icon to top spot.
England’s young lions get their chance
Watching the likes of Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold and Chelsea’s Reece James have to withdraw due to injury issues earlier in the week, it was no secret that Southgate was looking to chuck some new faces in at the deep end.
With Bukayo Saka also having to miss out on Saturday evening after returning a positive COVID-19 test, there is no doubt that some of England’s new batch of stars took their chance at Wembley.
Handing full senior debuts to Southampton’s Kyle Walker-Peters and Crystal Palace’s Marc Guéhi, Southgate would have also been impressed by another Selhurst Park star here.
Picking up just his second England cap after a breakout season on loan from Chelsea, Conor Gallagher put in a tireless effort alongside Jordan Henderson and some have argued that the 22-year-old is sat in pole position to book a spot at this year’s World Cup finals.
Also handing another Crystal Palace star in Tyrik Mitchell a 30-minute cameo as the 22-year-old picked up a first senior cap, England’s young stars will be hoping for another chance against the Ivory Coast on Tuesday.
Pickford proves why he is Southgate’s #1
With the build-up to this year’s World Cup finals firmly underway, one of the main questions that continues to steal plenty of headlines is who will be Southgate’s number one keeper in Qatar?
Given the nod once again on Saturday evening, Everton’s Jordan Pickford was certainly a standout performer as England struggled to find much rhythm during the first-half here.
While the former Sunderland man might have failed to keep out Breel Embolo’s header after 22 minutes, the 28-year-old produced a string of eye-catching saves and received plenty of praise following England’s 2-1 win.
Managing to keep the Three Lions in the contest, Pickford certainly backed up why Southgate has publically stated that he remains his number one choice between the sticks.
However, still in the midst of a real relegation scrap with Everton after what has been a nightmare campaign at Goodison Park, Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale has only continued to gain a host of admirers from across the Premier League.
Playing a vital role as the Gunners battle their way to a top-four finish this season, the one-time Bournemouth keeper is certainly breathing down Pickford’s neck.
Match Report:
England: Pickford, White, Coady, Guehi, Walker-Peters, Henderson, Gallagher, Shaw, Foden, Mount, Kane
Subs: Sterling, Rice, Mitchell, Bellingham, Grealish, Watkins
Switzerland: Omlin, Widmer, Akanji, Frei, Rodriguez, Freuler, Xhaka, Steffen, Shaqiri, Vargas, Embolo
Subs: Zuber, Mbabu, Zeqiri, Sow, Gavranovic, Aebischer
Goals: England: Shaw 45+1, Kane 78′ pen – Switzerland: Embolo 22′
Yellow Cards: N/A
Red Cards: N/A
Referee: Andreas Ekberg
