'Nathaniel Chalobah impressed yet again' - Standard Sport assess England U21s' win over Slovakia at Euros

George Elek20 June 2017

England came from behind to defeat Slovakia 2-1 in their second Group A game at the U21 European Championships.

Ex-Chelsea midfielder John Swift came in for Jacob Murphy in the only change to the starting XI from the stalemate with Sweden, but the first half saw a familiar theme of England dominating possession but failing to create many clear-cut chances.

Calum Chambers was impressive at the back again, although a superb near-post header saw England breached for the first time in the tournament.

Nathaniel Chalobah put in another accomplished display, and you feel that his role in England's engine room is a key one for Aidy Boothroyd's men. Team-mate Lewis Baker was improved in a slightly deeper role, but still struggled to truly influence the game.

Former Brentford defender Alfie Mawson drew England level shortly after half-time, before Nathan Redmond's deflected shot completed the turnaround.

A frustrated Slovakian fan base hurled some fairly vile abuse at Chelsea youngster Tammy Abraham, who again struggled to fashion goal scoring opportunities despite often holding the ball up effectively.

At half-time England looked down and out, so they will rightly take great heart from being able to turn the tie on its head. The feeling remains that England are yet to truly hit their stride, but this was a performance full of promise that should ensure the Young Lions will progress to the knockout stages.

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