Trent Alexander-Arnold makes England case with assist in Prague

"It's been a long time but I've always believed that I can play for England and I always want to," Trent Alexander-Arnold said after England's 2-0 win over Czech Republic in Prague. His first start for England in nearly two years brought the response he needed, with an assist for Anthony Gordon's opening goal and praise from Thomas Tuchel.

Tuchel's view of the return

Tuchel said the second-half position suited Alexander-Arnold a little bit more than the first half. He also called the assist an excellent finish to a move that asked plenty of the defender, saying there was "a good pass and a good goal."

The numbers behind the outing line up with that assessment. Alexander-Arnold finished with a 7.79 rating, the highest among the England players highlighted in the match data, and he created three key passes as well as the assist.

That is the detail England will notice most. He has been out of the starting XI for nearly two years, so any return needed to look more than symbolic, and this one did.

England's win in Prague

The match also changed shape early when Pavel Šulc was sent off after a VAR review for a late tackle on Elliot Anderson in the 25th minute. Czech Republic were reduced to 10 men, and England took control after the break.

Thomas Tuchel said, "It's always strange to get an early red card…but we got an important win." Harry Kane added the second goal in the 69th minute, and the scoreline stayed at 2-0.

The wider debate around Alexander-Arnold is still about more than one night in Prague, but this was the kind of performance that keeps him in the conversation. Manchester City's verdict hung over the day too, although Kane said he only found out after the game and would not comment further until later.

England's next chance to build on the result comes after this 2-0 win, and Alexander-Arnold now has a first start in nearly two years, one assist and Tuchel's backing to take into the next camp.