England secured a comfortable 2-0 victory over Andorra in World Cup qualifying Group K at Villa Park, extending their perfect record in the campaign. An own goal from Christian Garcia in the 25th minute opened the scoring before Declan Rice doubled the lead with a header in the 67th minute.
Thomas Tuchel named four Arsenal players in his starting XI for the clash, fielding Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Rice against the minnows. The Arsenal quartet delivered mixed performances, with some impressing while others struggled to make their mark.
Debut delight and defensive dominance
Elliot Anderson enjoyed an impressive England debut, pulling the strings in midfield and demanding the ball throughout the match. The Newcastle midfielder was involved in the build-up for the opening goal and nearly scored himself in the second half, only to be denied by a remarkable save.
Reece James excelled at right-back, providing the assist for England's second goal and consistently threatening down the flank. His low cross into the six-yard box on 23 minutes caused chaos and led to Eze's blocked effort, while he linked up effectively with Madueke throughout.
Anderson's defensive midfield presence allowed Rice to push forward into more advanced positions, ultimately enabling the Arsenal captain to score England's second goal. Rice had been quiet in the first half but made his mark with a well-taken header after the break.
Clinical finishing concerns
Several England players struggled with their finishing against limited opposition. Harry Kane endured a particularly frustrating evening, wasting multiple chances including a gilt-edged opportunity from James' cross in the 23rd minute and looping a header over the bar before half-time.
Eze was similarly wasteful in the number 10 position, failing to convert chances just before half-time and early in the second half. Marcus Rashford also squandered a clear opportunity in the second period when he should have hit the target.
Statistical superiority
England dominated proceedings with 83 percent possession against opponents ranked 174th in the FIFA rankings, according to The i. Andorra failed to register a single shot on target throughout the 90 minutes, extending their goalless streak to 15 competitive matches.
The comfortable victory maintains England's remarkable unbeaten run in World Cup qualifiers, which now stretches to 35 matches since October 2009. The Three Lions sit top of Group K with four wins from four games ahead of Tuesday's clash with Serbia.
Sources used: "Metro", "The i", "Daily Star" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
