England interim coach Lee Carsley praised the goalscorers in the 2-0 win over Republic of Ireland but another player caught his eye.
Jack Grealish and Declan Rice came back to haunt the country they used to play for by both scoring against Ireland on Saturday night in Dublin.
It gave Carsley, who also donned the shirt of the Emerald Isle during his playing days, the perfect start as interim coach of England in the Nations League.
But while the Three Lions largely dominated the contest, they could not further the scoreline.
Lee Carsley won his first match in charge of England
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Nevertheless, Anthony Gordon stood out as the most impressive player for Carsley, who picked him out in his post-match press conference.
He said at the Aviva Stadium: “On a really dry sticky pitch, it’s not ideal for dribblers but I thought Anthony [Gordon] was a real threat.
“He’s carried on his form from last season and he looks a really dangerous player.”
Gordon was largely ignored by Gareth Southgate over Euro 2024, managing just over a minute of action despite looking a threat throughout the campaign for Newcastle.
In 35 Premier League appearances last season, the winger scored 11 times and laid on 10 assists but could not break into Southgate’s England squad.
So to perform as he did against Ireland in Carsley’s first game in charge will be a huge boost to his confidence.
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But while Gordon looked a terror for the Irish defenders throughout the contest, it was Rice and Grealish who took the headlines with their goals.
Carsley added: “I thought they [Rice and Grealish] took their goals really well.
“Really well-worked moves and brilliant finishes. I think, moving forward, they can both add a lot more goals to their game.
“Jack definitely doesn’t have anything to prove to us, we can see his quality, but today will have done him the world of good, getting another goal for England and hopefully he can continue that form.
“I thought it was good in parts. You’ve seen some of the things we’ve tried to do.
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Anthony Gordon impressed Lee Carsley on Saturday night
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“The lads have to take a lot of credit, all of the credit. I think we’ve showed we’ve got some real talent and we can be really pleased with the clean sheet as well.
“I think you’ve got to give Ireland credit as well, they are very resilient, they closed the gaps and our space maybe became a bit wider [in the second half].
“We found it a little bit more difficult to get through them but at 2-0 we were quite comfortable.”
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Jack Grealish and Declan Rice scored for England
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Carsley is arguably the favourite to succeed Gareth Southgate on a permanent basis after taking the role on an interim basis.
Graham Potter and Eddie Howe are also in the running but no decision has been made by the FA yet.
But Carsley will get another chance to impress on Tuesday night when England host Finland at Wembley in the Nations League.
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