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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Image source, Getty ImagesMarkyc: Ollie Watkins needs to be on from the start. Thanks for your service Harry but the future is not you.
FT: Finland 1-3 England
England
Image source, ReutersMore from Lee Carsley, speaking to ITV: "We were looking for a reaction and this is only four games into it so I've still not quite worked out how the team respond to setbacks.
"But they've responded in the best way tonight. Scored three good goals but disappointed to concede at the end. We had a lot more control, massive possession, lots of passes and created a lot of chances.
"But we can still be better. The way Finland set up they were well organised with five at the back. When you have that amount of possession you're always going to get chances at 70 minutes onward and the subs made an impact."
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Angel Gomes had a mixed game for me - great assist and was quite effective in the opponents half, but he did lose the ball dangerously a few times which thankfully didn't come back to haunt him. I'd like to see him against Greece.
Sean V
FT: Finland 1-3 England
Matt Upson
Former England defender on BBC Radio 5 Live
Angel Gomes is a really interesting player. You see his stature and then you see him play the game and see that he's always creating time for himself. His anticipation is good and he has real discipline with what he does on the pitch, playing the ball sideways and backwards.
It was a big moment for him to show that he can get into that position and create an assist with the quality that he did.
Image source, Getty ImagesFT: Finland 1-3 England
England
Image source, Getty ImagesLee Carsley on no clean sheet: "Dean [Henderson] has done really well. Shame we couldn't see the game out with a clean sheet. We made a few changes and maybe lost our roles in the set play."
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The voice of reason: Under Gareth Southgate we did become tedious but still were solid. Now we are tedious and far from solid.
FT: Finland 1-3 England
England
Interim England manager Lee Carsley to ITV on whether he wants to carry on in the job: "I've not really thought much about it. I keep saying the same thing. My remit was six games and I'm happy with that. This is a privileged position.
"I'm really enjoying it but I didn't enjoy the last two days. I'm not used to losing in an England team, I don't take losing well.
"People are always going to try and put their chips on one side. I'm in the middle. My bosses have made it clear what they need from me. This job deserves a world class coach who has won trophies and I am still on the path to that."
FT: Finland 1-3 England
England
Image source, ReutersInteresting comments from Lee Carsley to ITV.
"This job deserves a world class coach who has won trophies and I am still on the path to that."
Does that mean he wants it?
He's still not saying.
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Korvintage64: The FA should really be going all out for Pep Guardiola, who wants to manage internationally & Lee Carsley go back to doing his exceptional work with the U21s.
FT: Finland 1-3 England
Chris Sutton
Ex-Premier League striker on BBC Radio 5 Live
It's been nearly 100 days since Gareth Southgate parted as England manager, is this a situation where there needs to be more clarity on what's going to happen next?
Are they going to wait until the next international break or should they be a bit more forthright and have a plan in place? Get a manager in so somebody who can actually come in and work with the players, and look ahead to the world cup.
We've seen the Lee Carsley experiment and it's fine but things seem to be up in the air at the moment. Is Lee Carsley the guy to take England on to the World Cup? That's the question.
FT: Finland 1-3 England
England
As things stand, Lee Carsley will remain in interim charge for the next two games away to Greece on 14 November and at home to the Republic of Ireland three days later.
It remains to be seen what happens after that.
The 2026 World Cup qualifying draw takes place in December, with qualifying matches due to start in March 2025.
FT: Finland 1-3 England
Ian Wright
Former England striker on ITV
Image source, Getty ImagesIt would've been interesting to see Angel Gomes play against Greece. You can see how comfortable it was tonight against this level of opponent.
Gomes is capable of creating something out of nothing. Hopefully he can play more games against better opposition so we can see what he's really like.
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The SecretPundit: I actually think Finland were a bit unlucky. Missed a sitter and caused England enough problems - and this from a side ranked 64th? Greece will be a tough one in Athens. Whatever though, people's over expectations of this England team will once again be the source of their disappointment.
FT: Finland 1-3 England
England
Image source, Getty ImagesEngland's Jack Grealish, speaking to ITV: "We could have had a few more but it was difficult at times.
"The goal came from the manager letting us play with that freedom. I play with Angel Gomes in training and I know what a top player he is. The celebration was for my little daughter.
"I joked to Trent [Alexander-Arnold] before the free-kick 'score this I will give you 500 quid' and he slapped it in top bin.
"Whatever happens with the England manager, people will always say negative stuff.
"Before people were crying out for all attacking players to play and it didn't work. I don't get it, it can happen in games. I love coming here, a top, top manager and I love playing for him."
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The Bees Knees: 3-1 flattered England. Ok, England weren’t under too much pressure, but when they were they were lucky.
FT: Finland 1-3 England
Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer 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 Helskinki.
Interim manager Lee Carsley made six chances from the debacle against Greece, with goalkeeper Jordan Pickford replaced by Dean Henderson, but failed to sparkle until the side ranked 64th in the group 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, while 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 another from close-range with six minutes left to give the scoreline a more satisfactory appearance for Carlsey and England.
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If anyone thinks that any future England manager is going to drop Kane.. dream on.
Yves, London
FT: Finland 1-3 England
Roy Keane
Former Republic of Ireland captain on ITV
I still can't believe how bad Trent Alexander-Arnold is defensively.
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209london: Better than the last game for England but I fear against a better opposition they may still come short.
FT: Finland 1-3 England
Ian Wright
Former England striker on ITV
I still think the worry is how easily England can be broken in respect of the transition. You expect them to beat Finland, they took their time with it but it was pretty comfortable.
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 chances from the debacle against Greece, with goalkeeper Jordan Pickford replaced by Dean Henderson, but failed to sparkle until the side ranked 64th in the group 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, while 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 another 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 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 12 |
| |
| 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 9 |
| |
| 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 6 | -4 | 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).Â
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.Â
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. Â
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).
