Just four days after Greece achieved their inaugural win against England at Wembley, Lee Carsley’s team struggled for extended periods in Helsinki. However, they displayed enough quality in the attacking third to alleviate some pressure on their interim manager.
Jack Grealish opened the scoring with a composed finish in the first half, but Finland squandered multiple opportunities before Alexander-Arnold and Declan Rice secured the win in the second half. Although Finland's Arttu Hoskonen scored late in the match, England's third victory in four games since Carsley took over from Gareth Southgate kept them in the running for promotion from Nations League Group B2.
Nonetheless, in the 'land of a thousand lakes,' Carsley faced challenges as the Football Association deliberates on a permanent successor to Southgate. After winning his first two matches against Ireland and Finland in September, Carsley’s tactical shift to a formation featuring five attacking midfielders and no recognized striker proved disastrous in the Greece match, raising questions about his suitability for the role.
Reports on Sunday indicated that former Bayern Munich and Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel is in discussions with the Football Association, which has also shown interest in Newcastle manager Eddie Howe.
Carsley is anticipated to remain at the helm for England’s upcoming match against Greece on November 14, followed by Ireland's visit to Wembley three days later.
In response to the Greece setback, Carsley made six changes, reverting to a more traditional lineup. Dean Henderson made his first start for England, replacing Jordan Pickford in goal, while Harry Kane's return from injury prompted Carsley to abandon his striker-less strategy.
Grealish, Kyle Walker, Marc Guehi, and Angel Gomes joined a team that occasionally struggled against a Finland squad ranked 60 places lower in FIFA’s standings.
Grealish's performance was impressive. An early mistake by Gomes, who made a careless pass in his own half, put England at risk, but Topi Keskinen squandered the opportunity by shooting wide from 10 yards.
This near miss prompted England to respond, and they took the lead with a meticulously executed 17-pass sequence in the 18th minute. Alexander-Arnold delivered a precise pass to Gomes, who skillfully maneuvered to send a clever ball through the Finnish defense. Grealish made a perfectly timed run to finish from close range, marking his fourth goal for England. He celebrated by sucking his thumb in a heartfelt tribute to his newborn daughter, Mila.
Having returned from injury that sidelined him during the Greece match, Grealish has been a standout performer under Carsley, especially after being omitted from the Euro 2024 squad. However, England remained susceptible defensively, and Keskinen should have capitalized on a defensive lapse, but shot directly at Henderson instead.
In a tactical shift, Carsley positioned Alexander-Arnold at left-back, a departure from his usual right-back role, which left him out of position when Fredrik Jensen narrowly missed with a shot that went over the bar. Jensen later wasted a prime chance to equalize, firing over from just six yards as England's defense faltered again.
Carsley introduced Ollie Watkins and Noni Madueke in place of Palmer and Kane, who has now been substituted in each of his last seven appearances for England. The substitutions revitalized the team, and Alexander-Arnold extended their lead with a stunning free-kick that flew past Lukas Hradecky from 25 yards in the 74th minute.
Rice added another goal with six minutes remaining, tapping in from Watkins’ cross. Although Hoskonen scored with a header from a corner in the 87th minute due to poor marking, England had already secured the victory and regained their momentum.