It’s not often you’re left underwhelmed by a 4-0 victory, but England’s win over Malta on Friday night was far from the kind of routine demolition job you’d expect from a country of England’s stature upon facing an international minnow.
The deadlock wasn’t broken until Harry Kane’s 53rd-minute strike, while England’s final three goals all came in the closing stages – including two strikes in stoppage time. Overall, it was an uninspiring performance from a side set up surprisingly conservatively by Gareth Southgate.
One player who made a clear difference, however, was Manchester United youngster Marcus Rashford. If the 10-cap international isn’t the greatest teenage talent to ever grace the Three Lions, he’s unquestionably one of the most positive, always driving at the defence, trying to create problems for the opposition and looking for avenues to find the net.
That was especially evident against Malta when, despite only coming on at half time, Rashford completed the most dribbles of any player on the pitch and laid on the joint-most chances alongside Harry Kane, one of which was converted by the Tottenham striker late on.
And in many ways, Rashford’s impact on the match highlighted arguably his greatest asset as a young footballer. A disappointing first half put pressure on England to improve in the second, but the 19-year-old rose to the challenge, playing without fear and finishing up as one of the best performers on the pitch.
That’s incredibly refreshing from a Three Lions perspective, considering the often unjustified expectancy placed on the national team. But with a huge season ahead at Manchester United, Jose Mourinho will be keen to tap into that fearlessness as well.
