England 5-0 San Marino: Three Lions player ratings as they grab resounding victory at Wembley
England opened their FIFA World Cup qualifier campaign with an emphatic 5-0 victory over San Marino at Wembley on Thursday night.
San Marino, one of the whipping boys of Europe, came into this one with little optimism but hoped to pull an upset at the end of 90 minutes.
However, in an extremely one-sided affair, goals from James Ward-Prowse, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Raheem Sterling, who was the captain on the night, ensured England cruised to a half-time 3-0 lead.
The second half brought no change to the flow of the game, as a reshuffled England side continued to dominate proceedings and threaten with constant waves of attack.
Calvert-Lewis grabbed his brace in the 53rd minute, finishing off a well-worked interplay between Ben Chilwell and Jesse Lingard before debutant Ollie Watkins completed the rout with his first England goal in the 83rd minute.
England now sit comfortably at the top of Group I, and will be looking to build on this fine performance when they take on Albania on Sunday.
England player ratings
Nick Pope: 6/10
Starting ahead of Everton’s Jordan Pickford, the England shot-stopper had absolutely nothing to do all game as San Marino failed to register a single shot on target.
Reece James: 7/10
A superb outing from the Chelsea man. He was always on deck to provide support for his frontmen as he constantly marauded back and forth on the right-wing. The England full-back finished with an assist, after teeing up Calvert-Lewis for a fine header.
John Stones: 7/10
Solid in central defense and paired up well with Wolverhampton Wanderers’ center-back Conor Coady. Playing high up the pitch, he occasionally joined the attack, just like we have seen him do at club level with Manchester City.
He missed a glorious chance to open the scoring in the first half, however, after failing to keep his shot down from a Mason Mount cross.
Conor Coady: 7/10
An assured performance from the England defender. He was neat and tidy with his distribution, finishing with a 95% passing accuracy. Coady was imperious in the air, clearing out dangerous balls over the top by the visitors.
Ben Chilwell: 8.5/10
One of the standout performers for England. Chilwell was a constant thorn in the flesh of the San Marino defense, as he simply ran ragged on the left-wing.
He provided an outlet for England's frontmen and always galloped deep into the visitors' half to drive dangerous crosses into the box. The Chelsea full-back finished with an assist and also created six chances.
James Ward-Prowse: 7/10
The Southampton midfielder continued his sensational form this season as he grabbed his second goal in an England shirt to open the scoring in the 14th minute.
He kept the play ticking at the center of the park, completing 93% of his 73 attempted passes. He came close to scoring a second late in the second half, when he sent his free-kick crashing into the crossbar.
Kalvin Phillips: 7.5/10
The Leeds United man’s defensive prowess was key to England's style of play, as while others joined the attack, he sat deep and was responsible for providing the defensive shield for the high line. He did that stupendously, winning tackles and completing strings of passes with his midfielders.
Mason Mount: 9/10
A scintillating performance from the Chelsea midfielder. He was simply stupendous, gliding through enemy press to create chances for his teammates. Despite playing just 45 minutes, he finished with an assist and a game-high eight chances created. Easily the man of the match.
Jesse Lingard: 7/10
Lingard was simply everywhere, trying to create something for his frontmen and also get on the scoresheet. Although he unluckily failed at the latter, due to the heroics of the San Marino goalkeeper, he performed superbly at the former, as he finished the game with an assist.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin: 8/10
Scorer of two goals for England, the Everton man continues to show his undying and insatiable thirst for goal in the box. He doubled England’s lead with a fine header in the 21st minute, before taping in a well-worked pass by Jesse Lingard from close range.
Raheem Sterling: 7/10
The Manchester City winger captained the England national team in this encounter. His quick feet caused a lot of problems for the San Marino defenders, as he simply slalomed into the box at will. After missing a couple of decent chances, Sterling finally got on the scoresheet to give England a 3-0 lead in the first half.
Player ratings for England substitutes
Tyrone Mings: 6/10
The Aston Villa defender replaced John Stones at the heart of the defense and put in a decent shift. He, however, picked up a late yellow card after a needless foul in injury time.
Kieran Trippier: 6/10
The England full-back replaced Reece James at the start of the second half, and although there was a slight drop in quality on the right flank with his introduction, he did what was asked of him by England boss Gareth Southgate.
Jude Bellingham: 6.5/10
The Borussia Dortmund youngster replaced the impressive Mason Mount, who was handed a half-time breather. He kept the play ticking in midfield and kept his passes tidy and simple.
Phil Foden: 7/10
Foden replaced Raheem Sterling in the 46th minute was simply superb while on the pitch. He tore at the San Marino defense at will and finished with a brilliant assist for Ollie Watkins.
Ollie Watkins: 7/10
The Aston Villa man replaced Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the 63rd-minute, marking his debut with an 83rd-minute goal to make it 5-0 for England.