England vs North Macedonia LIVE: Result and reaction from Euro 2024 qualifier as Bukayo Saka nets hat-trick
England 7-0 North Macedonia: Bukayo Saka’s hat-trick was the icing on the cake for ruthless England
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Your support makes all the difference.England earned another win in their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign with a ruthless display against North Macedonia at Old Trafford. The visitors had never lost in England and for 20 minutes looked up to the task of keeping the Three Lions quiet despite the gulf in quality.
Harry Kane’s opener, turned in from a Luke Shaw pass, opened the floodgates and Gareth Southgate’s men feasted on a plethora of chances. No more so than Bukayo Saka, the brightest rising star of England’s next cohort. He opened his own account with a fine twist and finish inside the box before adding two more after half-time to earn a first career hat-trick.
He is forming a cut-throat partnership with Trent Alexander-Arnold, once again pushed into midfield, which could become the foundation stone of Southgate’s next European Championship campaign.
There were impressive performances elsewhere too. Marcus Rashford was a constant threat on the left and became the first Mancheser United player to score for England at Old Trafford since David Beckham. He made a strong case to start ahead of Jack Grealish and Raheem Sterling tonight and there was also a first international goal for substitute Kalvin Phillips who was left with a tap-in inside the box.
Relive all the action as England battered North Macedonia at Old Trafford:
England vs North Macedonia
The teams make their way out onto the pitch at Old Trafford. Harry Kane once again leads England and will be hoping to add to his goal tally.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is starting in midfield again and there’s a spot up top for Marcus Rashford at his home ground.
Kick off is up next.
England vs North Macedonia
Should Marcus Rashford, Harry Maguire or Luke Shaw find the net in this match, they would be the first Manchester United player to score for England at Old Trafford since David Beckham against Sweden in November 2001.
England vs North Macedonia
Harry Kane has scored in each of his last five appearances for England, and could net in six in a row for the Three Lions for the third time, previously doing so in July 2018 and November 2019.
England stars must ignore transfer talk, says Gareth Southgate
Gareth Southgate has told England’s players not to spend their summer worrying about possible transfers.
Seven of Southgate’s charges - captain Harry Kane, Declan Rice, Kyle Walker, Harry Maguire, Conor Gallagher, James Maddison and Kalvin Phillips – have uncertain futures and could move this summer.
But while Southgate is sure England will not lose their focus on their Euro 2024 qualifier against North Macedonia at Old Trafford on Monday, the manager believes it would be counter-productive for them to waste time over the forthcoming weeks fixating on things that are out of their control.
England stars must ignore transfer talk, says Gareth Southgate
England play a Euro 2024 qualifier against North Macedonia at Old Trafford on Monday
Luke Shaw turns agent in bid to woo England teammates to Manchester United
Luke Shaw has said he would take Harry Kane and Declan Rice at Manchester United “in a heartbeat” after half-jokingly trying to sign them up at Old Trafford.
The left-back has revealed he has been trying to sell United to his England teammates, several of whom could be on the move this summer.
Shaw posted an Instagram video giving Kane and Rice a tour of United’s training complex at Carrington, where England are preparing for Monday’s game against North Macedonia.
Luke Shaw turns agent in bid to woo England teammates to Manchester United
Shaw posted an Instagram video giving Harry Kane and Declan Rice a tour of United’s training complex at Carrington
England vs North Macedonia
Including play-offs, North Macedonia have lost two of their three qualifying matches (W1), as many as they had in their previous 14 (W9 D3).
They led Ukraine 2-0 at half-time in their last game, only to end up losing 3-2.
Egnland vs North Macedonia
This is England’s first game at Old Trafford since a 1-0 defeat to Spain in a friendly in February 2007.
The Three Lions have won eleven of their 17 games at the home of Manchester United, although haven’t won either of their last two (D1 L1), one of which was against North Macedonia in October 2006.
England vs North Macedonia
England have lost just one of their last 60 qualifying matches for the World Cup/European Championship (W48 D11), losing 2-1 at Czech Republic in October 2019.
At home, the Three Lions are unbeaten in 34 such matches (W30 D4) since a 3-2 loss to Croatia in November 2007.
Trent Alexander-Arnold experiment means England may have found their ‘quarterback’
If ever there was a night to try things, it was this, and so it was for Trent Alexander-Arnold. Playing in a role that was more quarterback than that associated with the No 10 on his shirt, the Liverpool star decorated an otherwise drab 4-0 win over Malta with a series of sublime balls. One of those was a brilliant strike to make it 2-0, as Alexander-Arnold at least gave Gareth Southgate something to think about from a game almost everyone else will instantly forget.
There is of course a danger in reading too much into a game as utterly routine as this, but you might say it’s a start. That’s actually been rare enough with Alexander-Arnold for England, since this was remarkably only his 19th appearance.
If these sort of matches have always provoked debate about whether they should even be taking place, such is the extent of the mismatch, the one element of tension is how long it will take the superior side to score. Southgate had direct knowledge of that given it was his last match in this stadium that was one of his most dismal nights with England. A goalless first half led to away fans booing and cries that the team were “sh*t”.
Trent Alexander-Arnold experiment means England may have found their ‘quarterback’
Malta 0-4 England: Alexander-Arnold impressed in a midfield role on a night where England cruised to an expected win
England vs North Macedonia
England have won their last eleven home European Championship qualifiers by an aggregate score of 40-4.
This century, England have won 19 out of 24 home Euros qualifiers (drawn four, lost one), although two of the five home games they have failed to win have been against North Macedonia in 2002 and 2006.
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