England U21 ratings vs Czech Republic: Anthony Gordon and Jacob Ramsey star as Crystal Palace duo impress

Prior to England’s U21 clash with the Czech Republic at Turf Moor on Thursday evening, manager Lee Carsley urged his players to step up in the absence of Emile Smith Rowe.

While the Young Lions could have done without a late first-half scare and a spell of Czech pressure towards the end of the second, it’d be fair to suggest they did indeed manage to cope without the Arsenal star in a 3-1 win.

Standard Sport’s ratings are below.

Josef Bursik 5

Had little to do aside from the penalty.

Max Aarons 6

Coped well defensively with what he had to do.

Marc Guehi 7

Pushed up well and looked every inch a Premier League central defender. Dominant in the air.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis 6

Slightly less dominant than his defensive partner but solid enough.

Luke Thomas 6

Like Aarons on the opposite flank, the Leicester City man had relatively little to do but did show the makings of an understanding with Anthony Gordon.

Oliver Skipp 7

Cool, calm and composed, it’s evenings like this that make it clear to see why Oliver Skipp is so highly-rated at Tottenham. While he doesn’t always look the most expansive of footballers, he did his job very well.

Jacob Ramsey Star man

The Aston Villa youngster pressed well in the middle of the park and had a role in setting up the third and first goal. At times, he looked a level above the rest of those on the park.

Conor Gallagher 7

Not quite at his dynamic best but, such has been the level of his performance of late, even that was enough to impress.

Anthony Gordon 7

Heavily involved in the first two goals (scoring the second and forcing an own goal for the first), the Everton youngster dominated the early proceedings but faded. A brilliant evening, all things considered.

Cole Palmer 6

The Manchester City youngster was busy enough in the final third but couldn’t find the touch of magic he’s started to show of late. Limped off with what looked to be a hamstring problem.

Folarin Balogun 6

Took his goal well, showed an ability to press from the front but also missed a very good chance to add to his tally. A promising outing, but still a lot to learn.

Substitutes

Angel Gomes 5

Got forward well but, by his time on the pitch, England were only attacking in spurts.

Morgan Gibbs-White 6

Couldn’t keep the ball all too well during a late spell of Czech pressure.

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