NEWCASTLE FANS ARE STUNNED BY HIS PERFORMANCES AGAINST IRELAND, HE DID SOMETHING NO ONE HAS EVER DONE IN FOOTBALL.

It ended England 5 Republic of Ireland 0.

Against an embarrassingly negative visiting side, the Three Lions eventually delivered.

A frustrating first half saw the 10 man defence in front of Kelleher help the away side go in 0-0 at the break.

However, thankfully justice was done when England unlocked the packed Irish defensive line.

Harry Kane had been shocking for 52 minutes, his lack of movement and pace a massive handicap for England.

That all changed though when Kane came deep and sent a superb path into Bellingham, Scales bringing him down, a penalty for England and the Irish defender getting his marching orders with a second yellow.

A lot of criticism for England but when the opposition don’t even try to get out of their own half, it is very difficult to find space, even against a rubbish team such as the Republic of Ireland.

No denying the quality though of Kane on penalties, the Liverpool keeper was never going to stand a chance.

Newcastle United provided three of the starting eleven today, with Livramento, Gordon and Hall starting.

This was the first time an NUFC trio had started an England match since Shearer, Batty and Lee in April 1997, just the 27+ years ago.

Two minutes after the opener, Tino Livramento crossed and after deflections off a couple of Irish players, it dropped for Anthony Gordon to smash home his first ever England goal.

Gallagher touched in from close range after a corner kick only three minutes later, with subs Bowen and Harwood-Bellis adding further goals as the visiting side collapsed.

Lee Carsley taking charge of his sixth and final game can be well pleased, as his side top their Nations League group with five wins and just the one defeat, when many of the usual suspects let him down.

So many positives for Newcastle United.

Lewis Hall his first ever England start, Tino Livramento his first ever England minutes and start, Anthony Gordon his first ever England goal.

This wasn’t a stellar England performance but all three United players can be well pleased with their contributions.

On Sunday afternoon, England hosted the Republic of Ireland at Wembley, needing a win of any kind to guarantee their status as group winners, and subsequently securing promotion back to league A of the UEFA nations league.
The competition for places in the England team has been apparent for Solanke this week, with Ollie Watkins starting England’s game against Greece on Thursday evening, and Harry Kane coming into the side for the showdown with the Republic of Ireland here.

England cap number three for Spurs striker Dominic Solanke
After a very hard to watch first half, where England were visibly struggling to break down the visitors low block, and Kane not very well himself, there were some shouts for Solanke to come on for the second half, and give England some fresh energy and impetus up front.
That, ultimately, did not happen, and England, and Kane, did improve in the second half, scoring three goals in five second half minutes between the 53rd and 58th minutes. With a quarter of an hour to go, Solanke did come on, replacing midfield Conor Gallagher, as Lee Carsley attempted to continue to set England up to score as many as possible – partnering Solanke with Kane.
The break in play that allowed the subs was for a free-kick, one that England then immediately scored from, before even adding a fifth after that. Solanke looked eager in his cameo, and nearly scored from a Kane cross, with Caoimhin Kelleher just about getting their first. England would win the game 5-0.
As touched on above, this win means England have topped their group, with 15 points from six games, finishing above Greece on head to head record, and securing their promotion back to league A at the first attempt.
Even failing the head to head record, they had superior goal difference. As a result, England will begin their World Cup qualifying campaign in March rather than in September (just nine months before the tournament), and will not have to play a two legged nations league play off to try and get promoted.

This international break for Solanke has been pretty perfect from a Spurs point of view. From the human side of it, you can be happy that his hard work has been rewarded with another cap, whilst also being delighted that the striker has only accumulated 15 minutes across the break, and is fully fresh for the intense schedule coming up.


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