Bukayo Saka won Man of the Match for England as he scored one and set up a couple more on his birthday on Sunday.

England's Bukayo Saka (right) scores his side's fourth goal of the game during the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifying match at Wembley Stadium, London. Picture date: Sunday, September 5, 2021. Copyright: Nick Potts
England’s Bukayo Saka (right) scores his side’s fourth goal of the game during the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifying match at Wembley Stadium, London. Picture date: Sunday, September 5, 2021. Copyright: Nick Potts

Bukayo Saka celebrated his 20th birthday with a strong performance for England on Sunday, facing Andorra in a World Cup qualifier.

Saka capped his display with a late headed goal for 4-0, five minutes from time, but he was already having a great game before that.

The Arsenal youngster set up Jesse Lingard’s opener with a deflected cross in the first half, before assisting another Lingard goal with a lay-off in the 78th minute.

As well as his contributions to three of England’s four goals, Saka also completed his only attempted dribble, 91.3% of his passes, creating two chances, winning six of seven individual duels and four free-kicks.

The fans were certainly very supportive of Saka during the match, after what happened with the Euros over the summer. They even sang him ‘Happy Birthday’ during his post-match interview.

So perhaps it’s no surprise they also voted him Player of the Match. Saka also won Sky Sports’ Man of the Match award for his display.

Gareth Southgate said afterwards: “It was a lovely moment for him to score. He got a fabulous reception before & during the game. You can see how popular he is with the team.

“From my perspective, he doesn’t need closure. The talent that he has, he is a hugely exciting player.”

Saka himself also posted on social media to thank everyone for his dream birthday.