Grealish scores opener after neat pass from Gomes
Alexander-Arnold doubles lead with stunning free-kick, before Rice scores third
Kane returns for Three Lions as Carsley made six changes
Finland have never beaten England
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So, England are on their way back from Helsinki with three points after returning to winning ways in the Nations League against Finland.
They are next in action on 14 November when they play Greece in Athens in a game which will go a long way to deciding who wins the group.
Meanwhile, the Premier League is back next Saturday.
Yes, yes, yes!
Image source, Reuters
Image source, PA Media
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Mick Pryce: Lee Carsley is brave, maybe too brave and needs a bit of a media polish. But definitely see potential.
FT: Finland 1-3 England
Phil Jagielka
Former England defender on BBC Radio 5 Live
Job done. England played well in spells and played well mainly as individuals but the one thing we're looking at going forward is the collective.
England look good going forward but defensively as a team England are probably lacking at the moment.
But there are high expectations because England have such a fantastic squad.
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Mikey: We need a new permanent manager ASAP. Someone who will let the players play in a more positive way and stop passing backwards.
FT: Finland 1-3 England
Phil Jagielka
Former England defender on BBC Radio 5 Live
Image source, ReutersThe one thing that can fix you is a manager playing you and putting faith in you, and that's what Lee Carsley has done with Jack Grealish.
He's got a response and a bounce from that player because he feels loved again. Everyone wants to feel that the manager rates you and wants you in the team.
He's a manager that spends a lot of time with the players.
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Bzp: Lee Carsley has done alright in all fairness. He's not the long-term solution, and it sounds like he agrees with that. FA needs to be ambitious with the next appointment.
FT: Finland 1-3 England
Phil Jagielka
Former England defender on BBC Radio 5 Live
When you have that kind of setback (2-1 defeat to Greece), the first thing is to recover and the best way to do that is to win. So the first thing you do is pick a team to win the game which Lee Carsley did.
It's probably easier to do against this Finland team, who battled hard and sat in but they don't have a lot of quality going forward.
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England win 3-1 away and still a lot of negative comments. England made the last two Euro tournament finals and still they’re criticised. We made the World Cup semi and quarter finals and many are still dissatisfied. We do not have a divine right to win the top prizes in football. And the unrealistic expectations from many media outlets and fans doesn’t help. Sure it would be nice, ‘66 etc, but honestly.
Richard, Gloucester
FT: Finland 1-3 England
Image source, Getty ImagesEngland midfielder Declan Rice, speaking to ITV Sport: "Do you know how good Jack is? He has something very special.
"He looks really confident and I am buzzing for him. When he is playing well and happy, he is a massive boost for England.
"Since the manager has come in, he has been so honest, so refreshing.
"He has a way of playing and he really wants us to stick with that."
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Maybe there's a reason Southgate played with caution? He was aware of our defensive frailties. Whoever the next England manager is has a job to not only make the most of our attacking talent but to solidify our defence. We shouldn't be conceding against Finland.
Dan
FT: Finland 1-3 England
Phil Jagielka
Former England defender on BBC Radio 5 Live
This game had a bit of a relaxed tone and it lead to a lot of sloppy moments. There wasn't a lot of punch in it because England then had to drive the tempo as a team because the game organically doesn't offer it.
Finland were happy to sit off, and say go on then, let's see what you got.
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It's like Carsley is talking himself out of the job. I appreciate his style is understated but he needs to puff his chest out a bit more and sell it. He has one more round of matches after all.
Higgy
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Magger: Managing England is similar to managing Belgium over the last 8 years. Belgium had so many “great” players but won nothing. We have great players but neither Southgate not Carsley has solved the problem. We need an experienced overseas manager who will select the best team and not the best players. A British manager will buckle under the media pressure.
FT: Finland 1-3 England
Roy Keane
Former Republic of Ireland captain on ITV
The most important thing is getting the right man for England. The FA have to go for the best guy.
FT: Finland 1-3 England
Alex Howell
BBC football news reporter at Helsinki Olympic Stadium
Lee Carsley has just said in his post-match press conference that it is 'definitely' wrong to say he has ruled himself out of the job. He says he is keeping an 'open mind'.
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Good to see TAA appreciated for his work tonight by the manager and top pundits. He was first in all the stats but still criticised, keep going Trent.
Richard, Preston
FT: Finland 1-3 England
England
Image source, Getty ImagesEngland interim boss Lee Carsley on Jack Grealish: "Jack was outstanding. It was a shame he missed the Greece game. I thought he would've been effective. Jack was very good and he's an infectious character, really pleased with him."
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Loveeverybody: So Trent Alexander-Arnold gets a free-kick but was culpable at least three times for what decent teams would have scored from. He is a liability in defence and despite all the hype his pass success is only 60/70%. Overrated.
FT: Finland 1-3 England
Ian Wright
Former England striker on ITV
I don't think defensively that you can say yes, Trent Alexander-Arnold is going to play often in that position. But Lee Carsley wants creative players far up the pitch and he can do that.
Yes, he's played on the left but I can't see it being something that will happen too frequently.
He's shown a bit of quality with his passing and the goal.
FT: Finland 1-3 England
England
Image source, PA MediaLee Carsley on Trent Alexander-Arnold: "Trent's quality speaks for itself. It's not that I have found a place for him - he has more than earned his place."
Jack Grealish, who has just become a father for the first time, celebrates putting England ahead against Finland in Helsinki
England recovered from the embarrassing Uefa Nations League loss to Greece at Wembley but were still not totally convincing as they finally overcame Finland in Helsinki.
Interim manager Lee Carsley made six changes from the debacle against Greece, with goalkeeper Jordan Pickford replaced by Dean Henderson, but England failed to sparkle until the side ranked 64th in the world and without a point ran out of steam late on.
The recalled Jack Grealish settled early England nerves with a cool finish from Angel Gomes’ excellent pass in the 18th minute, and Finland missed chances to put Carsley and his side under further pressure before Trent Alexander-Arnold's brilliant late free-kick settled the game.
Declan Rice scored from close range with six minutes left to give the scoreline a more satisfactory appearance for Carsley and England.
Finland striker Fredrik Jensen was their biggest culprit as they tried to inflict more misery on England, missing good first-half opportunities before somehow turning an effort over the top from only six yards after the break.
Alexander-Arnold, operating at left-back in another Carsley break from convention, provided a rare moment of quality in a game desperately lacking the commodity, curling a magnificent 25-yard free-kick high past Finland keeper Lukas Hradecky after 74 minutes.
Finland, by then, were out on their feet and Rice stole in for an easy finish three minutes from time.
The Finns at least delighted the packed 32,000 crowd and got the reward their gallant efforts deserved when Arttu Hoskonen scored as England failed to deal with a corner.
England and interim manager Carsley will simply be glad for a win after the humiliation against Greece at Wembley, but they struggled to impress for long periods against the weakest side in their Uefa Nations League group.
Anything other than victory was unthinkable against a courageous Finland and England will be grateful that Jensen somehow failed to find the target from only six yards with the goal at his mercy with the score only 1-0.
Carsley demonstrated once again that he is not afraid to make the big calls by leaving out keeper Pickford, although he insisted it was always his intention to give Crystal Palace's Henderson his first start. He had little serious work but was at times uncertain with the ball at his feet, leaving long goal-kicks to team-mates.
Alexander-Arnold was used in another experiment at left-back, where he was rarely troubled but demonstrated exactly what he brings to England with that magnificent free-kick.
England at least had the shape and structure missing at Wembley, with Grealish once again confirming his rejuvenation this season with his second goal of the campaign, Carsley wisely ditching the wild experimentation he implemented to such ill-effect against Greece.
This night was all about the win, which England duly secured, but it was not the sort of performance to brush away all of the questions surrounding Carsley and his future.
Chelsea's Cole Palmer was used in a more familiar right-flank role in Finland after looking lost as a deep-lying midfielder against Greece.
Disappointingly for a player who has sprinkled stardust on the Premier League this season, Palmer was literally left on the margins of the action and unable to make an impact.
Palmer has already shown his quality at full England level, especially with his goal in the Euro 2024 final against Spain in Berlin, and his time will surely come.
On this occasion, however, he struggled and played without his usual ambition and confidence. It was no surprise when he was replaced by Chelsea team-mate Noni Madueke after 68 minutes.
England captain Harry Kane was back as Carsley's attacking spearhead but he looked well short of sharpness after missing the Greece game through injury and was laboured until he suffered the same fate at the same time as Palmer.
They will both be hoping to improve when England reconvene for what is scheduled to be the final camp with Carsley as interim manager in November.
After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users.
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 9 |
| |
| 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| |
| 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | -2 | 3 |
| |
| 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 7 | -3 | 0 |
|
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| |
| 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 6 |
| |
| 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 4 |
| |
| 4 | Israel | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 9 | -6 | 0 |
|
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 7 |
| |
| 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 5 |
| |
| 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | -5 | 2 |
| |
| 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | -4 | 1 |
|
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 7 |
| |
| 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| |
| 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| |
| 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 8 | -7 | 0 |
|
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 7 |
| |
| 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
| |
| 3 | Estonia | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | -2 | 3 |
|
| 4 | Azerbaijan | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 8 | -6 | 0 |
|
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 9 |
| |
| 2 | Kosovo | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
|
| 3 | Cyprus | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7 | -6 | 3 |
|
| 4 | Lithuania | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 6 | -4 | 0 |
|
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belarus | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
|
| 2 | Bulgaria | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
|
| 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| |
| 4 | Luxembourg | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 1 |
|
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 10 |
| |
| 2 | Armenia | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 7 | -1 | 4 |
|
| 3 | Latvia | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | -5 | 4 |
|
| 4 | Faroe Islands | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 | -1 | 3 |
|
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gibraltar | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
|
| 2 | San Marino | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
|
| 3 | Liechtenstein | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 2 |
|
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moldova | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
|
| 2 | Malta | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
|
| 3 | Andorra | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 0 |
|
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| |
| 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| |
| 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 3 |
| |
| 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | -1 | 3 |
|
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 12 |
| |
| 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 9 |
| |
| 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 | -5 | 3 |
| |
| 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 10 | -8 | 0 |
|
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 7 |
| |
| 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 7 |
| |
| 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 7 |
| |
| 4 | Kazakhstan | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 8 | -8 | 1 |
|
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
| |
| 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| |
| 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 4 |
| |
| 4 | Montenegro | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | -4 | 0 |
|
Manager: Markku Kanerva
Formation: 5 - 4 - 1
Manager: Lee Carsley
Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1
Manager: Markku Kanerva
Formation: 5 - 4 - 1
Manager: Lee Carsley
Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1
UEFA Nations League
All competitions
All competitions
All competitions
Finland will host England for the first time since October 2000 - a goalless draw in a World Cup qualifier. The Finns have drawn two of their last three home games with the Three Lions (L1).
England are unbeaten in each of their previous 12 meetings with Finland (W10 D2), the joint-most they have faced a nation without ever suffering defeat (level with Bulgaria – P12 W8 D4).
Finland have only lost two of their 10 home games in the UEFA Nations League (W6 D2), although one of those did come last time out against the Republic of Ireland (1-2).
England have lost two of their last four competitive fixtures (W2), more defeats than they suffered across their 20 previous such games (W12 D7 L1) – eight of the Three Lions’ last 11 competitive losses have come in the UEFA Nations League.
Finland have lost each of their last three games (all in the UEFA Nations League) and could lose four in a row for the first time since March 2016.
England are unbeaten in their last six away games in all competitions (W4 D2), last having a longer such run between March 2013 and October 2015 (12 in a row).
Finland’s Joel Pohjanpalo has scored six goals in his last eight home international starts, including last time out against the Republic of Ireland – each of the striker’s last six goals for his country have come at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium.
Jude Bellingham has been directly involved in eight goals in his last 12 England appearances (5 goals, 3 assists); since the start of 2023 only Harry Kane (15) has scored more goals for the Three Lions than the Real Madrid man (5 – level with Bukayo Saka).
