England 0-0 Scotland: Player ratings as tame Three Lions labour to draw
By Tom Gott
England's wait for a spot in the knockout stages of Euro 2020 will have to wait as a tame performance from the Three Lions saw them cling on to a 0-0 draw with Scotland.
Scotland began brightly and came close to scoring after just four minutes when Che Adams' low drive was blocked by John Stones, who saw a header crash back off the post shortly after. The tempo remained high and Stephen O'Donnell had the game's next best chance, with his excellent volley drawing an equally impressive save from Jordan Pickford on the half-hour mark.
The Scots stayed on top after the break and again came close to taking the lead. Reece James popped up in the right place at the right time to clear a Lyndon Dykes effort off the line.
England enjoyed a lot of possession but simply did not do enough to challenge Scotland, whose fans were by far the happiest when the referee brought proceedings to a close.
England player ratings
1. Goalkeeper & Defenders
Jordan Pickford (GK) -7/10 - Made an excellent save to deny O'Donnell and looked pretty comfortable on what was otherwise a quiet evening. Pulled out a ridiculous pass to Sterling as well.
Reece James (RB) - 5/10 - Couldn't deal with the combination of Tierney and Robertson. Overwhelmed at the back and didn't have his head up going forward. Saved the day with a goal-line clearance from Dykes.
John Stones (CB) - 7/10 - A good early block to deny Adams and followed it up with the first half's best chance. Continued to make crucial blocks on Adams throughout.
Tyrone Mings (CB) - 6/10 - Bullied Dykes early on but quickly began to lose that battle. Struggled to contain the big striker.
Luke Shaw (LB) - 6/10 - Failed to track O'Donnell on a number of occasions but was generally in control of what he was doing. Needed to offer more in attack.
2. Midfielders
Declan Rice (DM) - 4/10 - A passenger for most of the game. Didn't want the ball from the centre-backs and offered nothing going forward. Too many sideways passes.
Kalvin Philips (DM) - 5/10 - Didn't look anything like the enforcer that dominated against Croatia. Just wasn't involved in the game at all.
Phil Foden (RM) - 5/10 - Had some really fun moments but didn't look for the ball enough. Felt like a passenger far too often.
Mason Mount (AM) - 5/10 - A strange performance from Mount. Made some sublime passes but lacked the kind of intensity that you'd expect from him in the press. Made it too easy for Scotland.
Raheem Sterling (LM) - 4/10 - Created an excellent chance for Mount but did very little else of note. Really struggled to get involved and found McTominay to be tough competition.
3. Forward
Harry Kane (ST) - 2/10 - Did someone forget to tell Kane that he was actually allowed to play tonight? Deservedly substituted. Again.
4. Substitutes
Jack Grealish - 6/10
Marcus Rashford - 6/10
Scotland player ratings
5. Goalkeeper & Defenders
David Marshall (GK) - 6/10 - Had to watch and hope as Stones' header came back off the post but had very little to do throughout. Made a good save to dent Mount early in the second half.
Scott McTominay (CB) - 7/10 - Had a wobbly start and nearly gifted Mount a goal, but quickly calmed himself down. Hounded Sterling and usually came out on top.
Grant Hanley (CB) - 7/10 - Had Kane in his back pocket throughout and had Twitter going wild because of it.
Kieran Tierney (CB) - 8/10 - You can see why Scotland missed Tierney so much against the Czechs. He was absolutely superb at both ends of the field here, tormenting James in attack and keeping England at bay at the back.
6. Midfielders
Stephen O'Donnell (RM) - 7/10 - Most didn't want him to start, but O'Donnell was excellent here. Had fans off their seats with his volley and happily danced his way around Shaw with regularity.
John McGinn (CM) - 7/10 - Lacked composure early on, making a handful of fouls and earning a yellow for dissent, but quickly settled down. Helped control the midfield under very little pressure.
Billy Gilmour (CM) - 8/10 - This kid is special. On his first Scotland start, the youngster ran proceedings, dictating the tempo of the game and pulling all the strings. Superb.
Callum McGregor (CM) - 6/10 - Probably the most inefficient of Scotland's midfielders, but McGregor still pulled his weight. Kept things ticking but took a back seat to Gilmour and McGinn.
Andy Robertson (LM) - 7/10 - Charged up and down the left all night long. Looked like a machine. Put in some excellent crosses but just couldn't find the right man.
7. Forwards
Che Adams (ST) - 7/10 - Might not have had the best night in front of goal but offered up everything else. Some fantastic movement and link-up play, and with a bit more fortune, he would have scored.
Lyndon Dykes (ST) - 5/10 - Put his body around a whole lot but didn't actually offer much of note. Looked a little lethargic at times.
8. Substitutes
Stuart Armstrong - 6/10
Kevin Nisbet - N/A