"You can’t allow him" - Steven Gerrard slams Chelsea star for disappointing moment in England's 2-0 win over Ukraine
Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard has slammed Chelsea's Mykhaylo Mudryk for his role in England's opening goal against Ukraine on Sunday (March 26).
The Three Lions secured a comfortable 2-0 win over the Blue and Yellow at the Wembley in their second UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier. Harry Kane opened the scoring in the 37th minute from Bukayo Saka's cross before the latter delivered the second goal three minutes later.
Mudryk was among those at fault for Kane's opener. Saka jinked past a few defenders and was allowed to cross the ball into the box by the Chelsea forward, who allowed Saka to shift the ball onto his stronger left foot. Kane duly converted from inside the area to give his side the lead.
That brought Mudryk criticism from Gerrard. The former midfielder said on Channel 4(as quoted by Metro):
‘‘From a Ukraine point of view, it’s fantastic play from England as they open the pitch up, but you would be really disappointed if you’re the coach with Mudryk. ‘With all due respect, he is still learning the game, but you know that you need to keep Saka on his right foot; you can’t allow him to come in on that left foot because it’s a wand, and he gets it right on the money.’’
Mudryk put in an underwhelming display against the Three Lions. The versatile forward recorded no shots on target or key passes and won just one of his nine ground duels. He was also left on the turf by a brilliant move from Saka before being substituted after 61 minutes.
It marked another tough outing for the youngster, who's yet to score in seven appearances for Chelsea since arriving in January this year. The Blues signed him from Shakhtar Donetsk in a deal worth £89 million.
England make it two out of two in perfect start to UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying
England had to fight hard to beat Italy 2-1 in their first UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier, having played the final moments of the contest with a man down. However, they eased to a win over Ukraine with a thoroughly dominant display.
Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka strikes put them on their way in the first half. The Three Lions racked up 18 shots, eight of which were on target, and had 58% possession. Their backline also held firm, keeping Ruslan Rotan's team to just three shots and none on target.
England are now atop their their Euro qualifying group, with their next qualifier scheduled for June 16 against Malta.