Malta vs England. European Championship Qualifying Group C.
Ta' Qali National StadiumAttendance16,277.
Match report as England ease to a 4-0 win over Malta in Euro 2024 Qualifying to stay top of Group C; Trent Alexander-Arnold scored a stunning goal and excelled in midfield; Harry Kane and Callum Wilson were also on target for Gareth Southgate's side
Saturday 17 June 2023 07:51, UK
Trent Alexander-Arnold scored a stunning goal and set up another as England continued their winning start to Euro 2024 Qualifying with a 4-0 thrashing of Group C minnows Malta.
Alexander-Arnold, pushed into midfield by Gareth Southgate and wearing the No 10 shirt, produced a player-of-the-match performance, firing home the second goal in stunning style (28).
Earlier, his superb pass over the top of the Malta defence had released Bukayo Saka, whose cross was directed into his own net by defender Ferdinando Apap for the opener (8).
Harry Kane, England's all-time leading scorer having surpassed Wayne Rooney's record in March, scored the third goal, his 56th for the Three Lions, from the spot (31), with substitute Callum Wilson converting another penalty for the fourth (83).
The victory makes it three out of three for England in Euro 2024 Qualifying after they beat Italy and Ukraine in March, keeping them top of Group C, and also featured a debut for Crystal Palace's Eberechi Eze from the bench.
Alexander-Arnold's inclusion in midfield, having impressed there for Liverpool in the final months of the season, was the main talking point ahead of kick-off and his quality shone from the start.
For the opener, he controlled a short pass from Kieran Trippier, then fizzed a wonderful ball into the path of Saka, whose cross was diverted into the net by Apap under pressure from Kane.
England's superiority was already clear at that point and they continued to dominate possession and territory, but it took a moment of brilliance from Alexander-Arnold to double their lead.
The ball came to him after a smart turn from James Maddison, who was selected to start on the left flank. From around 25 yards out, the Liverpool star then curled a sensational finish across goalkeeper Henry Bonello and into the top corner.
The third goal arrived almost immediately, when Kane was brought down by Malta's Matthew Guillaumier, before sending the resulting penalty straight down the middle to extend his England scoring streak to five consecutive games.
Alexander-Arnold, playing in midfield for England for the first time since an unsuccessful experiment against Andorra in 2021, continued to orchestrate proceedings in the second period.
Kane spurned a chance to add his second goal of the night in an uneventful second half, his attempted chip over the goalkeeper drifting wide, but England did eventually get the fourth.
It came following a VAR check, with Malta's Steve Borg harshly penalised for handling Wilson's attempted cross, allowing the Newcastle striker to capitalise from the spot to score his second England goal.
Eze had a chance to get in on the act on his debut, but his low shot was blocked. Malta, meanwhile, the side ranked 171st in the world by FIFA, were unable to even muster a shot, making it a quiet night for Southgate's defence.
Speaking to Channel 4 after the game, player-of-the-match Trent Alexander-Arnold said he hopes his new midfield role will help him nail down a starting spot in the team.
"It's still early doors, I haven't played it too much, but it feels comfortable, natural," he said.
"It's somewhere I enjoy playing and where I can see myself playing. It's about getting myself into this team and trying to be a regular name on the teamsheet.
"Today was a good foundation to build on. I'm not too bothered where I play as long as I'm playing."
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher took to Twitter during the game to sing Alexander-Arnold's praises, saying he feels his move into midfield could be permanent.
"This midfield role for TAA will eventually become the norm for club & country!" he said.
Carragher added that he feels Alexander-Arnold could get "double figures" for goals and assists if he plays a full season in midfield for Liverpool.
On Alexander-Arnold, England boss Gareth Southgate said: "A lot of what happens is going to be dependent on his club, because the fact he has been playing partly in there, with the ball, has helped his transition tonight.
"What was pleasing tonight is that he's getting used to receiving in tight areas with his back to goal and players behind him, whereas he is used to playing on the touchline, with the play in front of him. He was very comfortable doing that.
"I've got no questions in my head. He can do it. It's just learning some nuances of the role, without the ball especially, but he's very keen to do it.
"He has enjoyed the project, if you like. We talked about it about four weeks ago on the phone and I think he's been excited by it.
"He showed exactly what we think he could be capable of and he gives us something different to our other midfield players."
On England's mentality, he added: "Of course we know we have the quality to win the games, but it's about your mentality then and I thought that was excellent right from the start.
"We tried to balance looking at a few things with some experienced players that give you leadership on the pitch and set the tone. That's how they've trained all week.
"In particular when we lost the ball, the reaction to winning it back was a sign that the team were in a good place mentally."
England will play North Macedonia at Old Trafford on Monday June 19. Kick-off 7.45pm.
Malta face Ukraine in their next Group C match at the Stadion Antona Malatinskeho in Slovakia on Monday. Kick-off 5pm.
Germany are hosting the tournament, which is scheduled to take place from June 14 to July 14 2024.
The format will be the same as Euro 2020, where the top two in each of the six final tournament groups will proceed to the round of 16, along with the four best third-placed finishers.
