England made up for their poor defeat at Wembley in October when they defeated Greece 3-0 in Athens on Thursday night.

Their success saw them top their UEFA Nations League group and outsmart a once undefeated Greek side. Lee Carsley headed into the November international break keen to impress in his last month and will have been pleased with the outing in Athens.

Three superb goals made all the difference in the Greek capital.

How the game unfolded

Fans may have been surprised to see England captain Harry Kane demoted to the substitutes bench when the Three Lions lined up to face Greece, but their worries will have quickly washed away when Aston Villa star Ollie Watkins fired his side ahead in the first 10 minutes.

An excellent run from Jude Bellingham ended with a well-timed pass to Noni Madueke, who found Watkins in the box. The goalscorer made light work of finishing his team’s efforts, tapping his strike into the back of the net and gifting his side a lead.

Greece did not back down after seeing their opponents fly into the lead, throwing their players down the pitch in an attempt to generate some attacking play. They came close to scoring a stunning equaliser on the half-hour mark when Liverpool’s Konstantinos Tsimikas forced Jordan Pickford into an uncomfortable save – but were unable to offer enough threat to bring the scoreline level.

The game continued to roll on like a chess match, but Greece were unable to earn their way back into the game before the half-time whistle was blown.

When play resumed, England didn’t seem to settle for their lead. Bellingham almost etched his name onto the scoresheet when he aimed a miraculous header towards Greece’s box. His effort bounced off the post, but acted as a warning sign for the hosts.

Just after an hour had passed, Lee Carsley made a number of substitutes, bringing on Kane, Anthony Gordon and Jarrod Bowen to inject a new lease of life into England’s attack.

After a few close calls from Greece, Bellingham finally earned what he’d been searching for all night when he drove down the pitch and fired an effort from the left. His strike bounced off the post and rebounded off of goalkeeper Odisseas Vlachodimos.

The Greek goalkeeper doubled the visitors’ lead with just 10 minutes to go.

But, just moments later Curtis Jones made it 3-0 for England, flicking an outrageous backheel into the back of the net after an impressive assist for Morgan Gibbs-White.

It was enough to gift England a victory and secure a round of applause on his debut.

GK: Jordan Pickford – 8/10 – Made a number of superb saves to deny Greece the opportunity to earn their way back into the game. Pickford was calm and commanding between the sticks.

RB: Kyle Walker – 5/10 – Moved into a centre-back role in the second-half of the game but struggled to offer much from there, or his usual position. Walker often looked out of place on the pitch, unable to deal with the headaches that Greece’s attackers provided.

CB: Marc Guehi – 6/10 – An average performance from the Crystal Palace defender, who looked more composed than the rest of his teammates in the backline. Guehi didn’t make any obvious mistakes to hurt his side, but didn’t offer any spectacular moments either.

CB: Ezri Konsa – 6/10 – Konsa was removed from the game at half-time for a tactical change, but enjoted a strong performance in the opening 45 minutes. He made a number of excellent passes and worked hard at the back.

LB: Rico Lewis – 7/10 – Lewis enjoyed a successful night in Athens, getting himself into every possible bit of space to catapult his team to victory. The youngster was extremely versatile, contributing in both attack and defence.

DM: Conor Gallagher – 7/10 – Never stopped working while he was on the pitch and proved to be a handful for Greece. Smart passes, well-timed duels and an all-round solid performance – Gallagher proved vital for England.

DM: Curtis Jones – 7/10 – Jones’ late backheel flick marked a stunning debut for the Liverpool star. The midfielder was simply excellent, showing off his outrageous skills and oozing in confidence. Fantastic.

RW: Noni Madueke – 8/10 – Chelsea star Madueke had a lot to be proud of, demonstrating his ability to create chances and outsmart defenders. The way he danced around the pitch was remarkable, proving to be one of England’s most valuable players.

AM: Jude Bellingham – 7/10 – Bellingham ran riot on Thursday night, and his opening run for Watkins rewrote the game before it even had chance to begin. He was a vital player in England’s success.

LW: Anthony Gordon – 6/10 – Gordon was the quietest attacker on the pitch and was unable to offer much going forward. He did make some good passes when needed.

ST: Ollie Watkins – 7/10 – Scored the opener for England and continued to place himself in the best positions to strengthen his side’s lead. Led the line while Kane was banished to the bench.

Substitutes

SUB: Lewis Hall (45′ for Konsa) – 5/10 – Worked hard on the pitch but was unable to offer any moments of greatness.

SUB: Harry Kane (66′ for Watkins) – 6/10 – Was left on the bench to begin with but injected new life later in the game.

SUB: Morgan Rogers (66′ for Gordon) – 7/10 – Made some superb runs and continued to test Greece’s midfield.

SUB: Jarrod Bowen (67′ for Madueke) – 6/10 – Came on with Kane and offered a new presence up front.

SUB: Morgan Gibbs-White (79′ for Gallagher) – 6/10 – Terrific assist to double England’s lead.

Subs not used: Dean Henderson (GK), James Trafford (GK), Jarell Quansah, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Valentino Livramento, Angel Gomes, Dominic Solanke

Manager

Lee Carsley – 7/10 – Made a number of clever substitutions and ensured England headed into the November international break with a win.

Player of the match – Noni Madueke (England)

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