England vs Slovakia player ratings: Marcus Rashford recovers on bad night for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Who impressed as Gareth Southgate's side took a step closer to Russia?

Mark Critchley
Monday 04 September 2017 17:07 EDT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Marcus Rashford's attitude was as impressive as his aptitude as the forward helped England come from behind and fire Gareth Southgate's men to the brink of World Cup qualification.

Friday's flattering 4-0 win in Malta may have frustrated but this crunch Group F clash was on course to end in disaster after the visitors, ready to usurp the Three Lions as leaders, went ahead inside three minutes.

Stanislav Lobotka stunned Wembley after brutally punishing an error by Rashford, but the 19-year-old rallied rather than wilted, setting up Eric Dier before stylishly wrapping up a 2-1 win to leave England on the cusp of next summer's tournament in Russia.

Southgate's men now boast a five-point cushion over second-place Slovakia after the comeback win that stirred most of the 67,823 in attendance, just days after an underwhelming display led some travelling fans to turn on their team in Malta.

Who impressed as Gareth Southgate's side took a step closer to Russia? Take a look at the gallery above to see our ratings.

Do you agree? Let us know in the comments.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in