England U21 2 Ukraine U21 1: Dominic Solanke rescues hosts to extend unbeaten qualifying record to 31 matches

There were some all too familiar failings in this England performance for anyone involved to start believing their own hype, but there was still enough individual quality to re-enforce the view that we could be on the cusp of something exciting on the international stage.

Both England’s goal were special, brilliant finishes by Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Liverpool’s Dominic Solanke to make it a good evening for both Merseyside clubs.

It shows that, even when things do not go to plan, we have a new generation of players capable of producing something special at a key moment and it is players like this who tend to be part of the teams that win the big prizes.

Aidy Boothroyd’s side did the traditional English things well enough in securing a victory over Ukraine that keeps them five points clear at the top of their European Championship qualification group, digging in, scrapping and fighting.

However, it was the flashes of brilliance going forward that suggests we are witnessing the emergence of a different breed of player, offering something too many of their predecessors have lacked.

“It was far from perfect in terms of our performance,” admitted Boothroyd after England had secured the victory that stretches their unbeaten run in qualifying matches to 31 games. “In the first half we could have been a lot better.

“Overall, when they score late on and it’s 1-1, to have the character and the heart to keep making the runs, we are very, very pleased with the result.

“It’s massive result in the end, you can see what it has done to them at the end, but we have the quality players to turn things around and offer them different problems, which is what we did with Dominic (Solanke) coming off the bench and heading in the winning goal.”

This was not one of Boothroyd’s more relaxing evenings.  It was a sloppy, disjointed performance. Too often, despite their individual talent, England looked confused, a bi-product, perhaps, of making ten changes to the side that beat Romania 2-1 at the weekend.

There were still reasons to be encouraged. England’s first goal was sublime. First came the curling through ball from Norwich City’s James Maddison, which curved perfectly into the path of Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Then came the finish, one touch to bring the ball under control and away from the defender, a second, all in one stride, to stab it past the goalkeeper. It was a magnificent goal to lit up a drab first-half.

Ukraine will have felt aggrieved. They had carved out the better openings, despite playing largely on the counter attack. They were better than England gave them credit for and some sloppy play by Josh Onomah almost led to the visitors taking the lead only for a well-timed, last-ditch tackle from Dael Fry to clear the danger. 

In the second half, an even better goal line clearance from Jonjoe Kenny saved another certain goal. Ukraine kept coming, though, and substitute Mykola Shaparenko thought he had rescued a point for with a close range finish.

England were stung and charged forward with the sort of gusto of a team that knew it had let itself down and got their reward when Solanke scored a fine glancing header to convert Ben Chilwell’s cross.