Arsenal trio Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze, and Declan Rice led England to a 2-0 win over Serbia on Thursday night, with Saka winning Player of the Match.
With World Cup qualification already secured, England didn’t have a huge amount to play for against Serbia on Thursday night. But you might not have guessed it from Thomas Tuchel’s team selection, with the likes of Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, and Harry Kane all starting as usual.
Saka ended up giving the team the lead just before the half-hour mark after a Rice free-kick. The initial set-piece was punched away, and Nico O’Reilly’s follow-up shot was blocked, but the ball deflected out to Saka, who guided an expert volley into the corner for 1-0.
Another Rice set-piece caused problems later in the half, with the Arsenal midfielder finding Kane in space. But the striker couldn’t hit the target.
Though he didn’t start the game, Eberechi Eze came on in the second half to great effect.
The Arsenal summer signing had a flying volley saved onto the bar by the Serbia goalkeeper, and just before full-time he fired a curling effort into the top corner for 2-0.
Arsenal’s fingerprints were all over the win, and Saka ended up receiving England’s Player of the Match award for his performance.
Arsenal fans will hope that Saka and Rice can perhaps finally get a rest for the final group game against Albania, but Thursday’s team selection doesn’t make that look particularly likely.
One positive is that the Albania game is on Sunday, so even if Arsenal players are involved, they’ll have a full week to recover before the north London derby on November 23rd.