Ireland 0-2 England: What Were The Key Talking Points As The Three Lions Open Their Nations League Adventure With A Victory In Dublin?

Making a first appearance since their EURO 24 final heartbreak, England opened their Nations League campaign with a 2-0 victory against Ireland over in Dublin.

Getting a new era underway on Saturday evening and now under the guidance of interim boss Lee Carsley, the Three Lions came flying out of the traps with Declan Rice and Jack Grealish both scoring against the country they used to represent.

Although some might have been concerned that England could show some signs of a hangover following on from their infamous 2-1 loss against Spain back on July 14th, the European heavyweights put in a dominant display here.

While Ireland might have offered the odd moment of threat on home soil, the Greens were heavily outplayed and still find themselves at the heart of what has become an extended struggle.

On an evening when England got their Nations League adventure off to a dream start away from Dublin, we have taken a look at the key talking points.

Carsley opens his tenure with an impressive display

Watching Gareth Southgate step down from his role in the Wembley dugout following on from England’s EURO 24 final heartbreak, the Three Lions were getting a new era underway over at the Aviva Stadium.

Making the decision to appoint Carsley on an interim boss, the former Republic of Ireland international has gained plenty of plaudits from England’s senior players.

Putting in what was a rampant first-half performance here and carving Ireland open at will, Saturday’s guests certainly demonstrated a more attacking identity and will take plenty of positives away from an eye-catching display on foreign soil.

Watching the likes of Grealish make a real impact after missing out of Southgate’s EURO 24 squad over the summer, it remains to be seen if Carsley would be interested in taking over from Southgate on a permanent basis going forward.

Showing no signs of a hangover here, Carsley will have another chance to boost his reputation when they return to Wembley on Tuesday night as they welcome Finland to north London smelling another golden opportunity.

Grealish marks his return with a flurry

Controversially omitted from Southgate’s EURO 24 squad over the summer, Grealish has been open about his individual heartbreak and how he is looking to use that frustration as a catalyst.

Handed a full return by Carsley for this month’s Nations League showdowns against Ireland and Finland, the Manchester City ace was at the heart of everything positive that England produced here.

Met by a hostile return to Dublin on Saturday evening and clearly public enemy number one after representing Ireland’s youth ranks on 19 separate occasions, Grealish silenced the vocal home support with a clinical finish midway through the second-half.

Spending the whole summer working on his fitness after being left out of Southgate’s European Championships squad, the former Aston Villa star will be looking to use Saturday’s performance as a platform to build on.

Making a first Premier League start of the season last weekend as Man City secured a 3-1 victory away at West Ham, the 28-year-old certainly silenced many of the critics here.

Always a tough test for Ireland

While Carsley’s maiden appearance as England boss might have stolen plenty of Saturday’s pre-match headlines, the Three Lions were not the only camp that were getting a new era underway in Dublin.

Springing what was a real upset back in July as they announced the appointment of Heimir Hallgrimsson, the former Ireland boss was widely regarded as a real left-field candidate and appears to have plenty of work on his hands at the Aviva Stadium.

Suffering a real EURO 24 qualifying struggle last year as they lost six of their eight Group B appearances, the Greens are desperately seeking some long-awaited stability.

Winning just a pair of their previous 11 matchups across all competitions and with just a single competitive victory to their name over the past 15 months, Ireland will know the importance of quickly dusting themselves down after what was always going to be a heavyweight challenge here.

Heavily outplayed for large spells on home soil and failing to collect a first victory against England since 1988, Hallgrimsson’s new squad will be next seen on Tuesday night when they welcome Greece to Dublin.

Match Report

Ireland: Kelleher, O’Shea, Collins, Coleman, Brady, Smallbone, Molumby, Doherty, Szmodics, Ogbene, Idah

Subs: O’Brien, Ferguson, Browne, Knight, McAteer

England: Pickford, Colwill, Maguire, Guehi, Alexander-Arnold, Mainoo, Rice, Grealish, Gordon, Saka, Kane

Subs: Stones, Gibbs-White, Gomes, Eze, Bowen

Goals: Rice (11’), Grealish (26’)

Yellow Cards: Ireland: Brady, Molumby, Szmodics – England: Mainoo, Colwill

Red Cards: N/A

Referee: Jose Maria Sanchez