UEFA Euro 2020 Qualifiers: 3 reasons why England defeated Kosovo

#3 England’s front trio remains terrifying

Marcus Rashford energised England's attack when he came on from the bench

Coming into this evening’s match England had scored a stellar 33 goals in their 7 qualifying games, with star striker Harry Kane plundering 11 and Raheem Sterling chipping in with 8, but tonight – for the majority of the game at least – they seemed somewhat toothless. Unfortunately, this could’ve been down to Callum Hudson-Odoi – selected ahead of Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford – struggling throughout his time on the pitch.

Nothing Hudson-Odoi tried really seemed to come off, and he was guilty of giving the ball away cheaply on numerous occasions. Essentially, this was a game that showed his young age and relative inexperience at this level, not that there’s any shame in that. But when Southgate sent Marcus Rashford on to replace him, the game instantly changed.

Rashford felt sharper and more threatening than the Chelsea man and it was no surprise that England’s final three goals came with him on the pitch – with the Manchester United forward finishing the third with a beautifully weighted shot following Sterling’s pass.

Question marks have hung over Rashford’s place in England’s front trio for a while now – especially as Sancho’s star has risen at Borussia Dortmund – but after his last two showings, his spot ought to be nailed in now. England’s first-choice front trio remain absolutely terrifying to any defence in Europe, as Kosovo found out to their peril this evening.