DAZZLING EZE LIGHTS UP ST JAMES' TO GIVE RIVALS ANXIOUS WAIT

INTERNATIONAL friendlies are typically stodgy, even with a major tournament looming, and the final scoreline masked a disjointed display from a much-changed England XI last night.

- Dan Kilpatrick

Gareth Southgate, though, is long enough in the tooth to know the drill, and the England manager will have taken the positives as his side scored three times in the second half to see off Bosnia and Herzegovina and kick-start their preparations for Euro 2024.

Conor Gallagher completed 90 minutes in the engine room; goalscorer Trent Alexander-Arnold was impressive in midfield and at full-back in the second half; Ezri Konsa staked his claim as England's utility defender; and 20-year-old substitute Adam Wharton was composed on debut.

Eberechi Eze, however, was the story of the match for an hour, at least until Cole Palmer's penalty broke the Bosnians' resistance and Southgate introduced a raft of substitutes, including captain Harry Kane.

Playing from the left of the front four, Eze was the life and soul of a drab first half, repeatedly taking on his manor men - in a continuation of his outstanding club form for Crystal Palace since the turn of the year.