Divin Mubama scored one penalty and missed another as Lee Carsley’s England Under-21s maintained their perfect start to Euro 2027 qualifying.
Amid the wind and the rain of Storm Claudia, St Andrews took a battering as the two sides slugged it out in treacherous conditions.
England should have gone in front in the first half when Mubama’s penalty, won by Chelsea’s Tyrique George, was excellently saved by Ireland’s Noah Jauny.
Chances would be at a premium all night long, Ireland left to rue a near-stunner from distance when Manchester United academy star Jacob Devaney almost picked out the top corner from 25 yards.
Carsley’s side dominated the ball, just as they did in their previous qualifier against Andorra, and the breakthrough on the hour mark brought palpable relief.
Lewis Hall, who will hope to catch the eye of seniors boss Thomas Tuchel for the next international break in March, burst down the left wing and was fouled by Jad Hakiki, leading to a second penalty. Replays showed it was harsh on the visiting Ireland players.
Mubama scored, despite Jauny getting a hand on it, and George added a second in stoppage time as England’s perfect record – which includes not conceding a single goal through five games – goes on.
Daily Mail Sport picks out three key takeaways from a sodden St Andrews…
Divin Mubama scored one penalty and missed another as Lee Carsley ’s England Under-21s maintained their perfect start to Euro 2027 qualifying
Amid the wind and the rain of Storm Claudia, St Andrews took a battering as the two sides slugged it out in treacherous conditions
Tyrique ripe for loan
Tyrique George won’t be going to the World Cup next summer – but he absolutely can solidify himself as a bonafide Premier League starter between now and then based on this confident and classy display in Birmingham.
Chelsea Confidential exclusively reported last month how the Blues will sit down with George in the coming weeks to work out what the future holds.
The youngster nearly left in the summer – a £22million deadline-day transfer to Fulham broke down in the final few minutes – but he has since been welcomed back into the fold by Enzo Maresca and Co with open arms.
While he typically plays as a striker for Chelsea, he was operating wide on the right here in a 4-2-3-1, allowing him to dominate in a one v one match-up.
George stood out among his peers in England Under-21’s last qualifier, a narrow win over Andorra in which he scored, and he was very bright here, further underlining why a January loan move could be best for all parties.
Chelsea don’t intend to try and force George to leave this January, either permanently or on loan, but will hold talks with the teenager and his camp to see what is best for everyone.
George, 19, is one of the focal points of this new-look Lee Carsley side and it was his clever run that won the first half penalty Divin Mubama would go on to miss. He later
But having not started a league game for Chelsea yet, a loan exit would give George the minutes he needs to go to another level, while also buying Chelsea time to work out whether he is one they can risk letting get away.
Tyrique George won’t be going to the World Cup next summer – but he absolutely can solidify himself as a bonafide Premier League starter between now and then based on this confident and classy display in Birmingham
George, 19, is one of the focal points of Lee Carsley’s side and bagged the Three Lions’ second late on
Hall makes World Cup pitch
Back in his first England camp in a year, Lewis Hall played like a player who had a point to prove. Not just to himself, or Carsley, but also to Tuchel, who will receive a glowing report card on the Newcastle United full-back.
Hall got 71 minutes here in the driving rain, effortlessly comfortable defensively and a willing runner in attack.
Asked in the lead-up to this qualifier if he was more cautious on the pitch now after two troubling injuries – a broken foot kept him out for months, while he has recently come back from a torn hamstring – Hall said the opposite is now true.
‘Not at all if I’m honest,’ he said.
‘If anything it’s made me more hungry and given me that extra bit of desire to get back to the levels that I was at last year.’
Tuchel likes Hall having known him from his days at Chelsea.
And while Hall is behind some of his peers in terms of making his case to go to the World Cup, there is absolutely no clear No 1 out of Nico O’Reilly, who started against Serbia, Myles Lewis-Skelly, who was left out of the squad, Djed Spence, and Hall as left back options.
All bring something a bit different but here was Hall, the best player on the night for England in a hard-fought win, sending a timely reminder that now back to fitness (and form), he is on course to peak at the right time for Tuchel’s World Cup plans.
Back in his first England camp in a year, Lewis Hall played like a player who had a point to prove
Hall got 71 minutes here in the driving rain, effortlessly comfortable defensively and a willing runner in attack
Melia is a diamond that needs polishing at Spurs
From an Ireland point of view, it was good to get a proper look at Mason Melia ahead of his January move to Tottenham Hotspur.
Melia has not really hit the radar on these shores but he will pitch up in north London in January as the record sale for a League of Ireland player.
The deal, which could rise to £3.2m in add-ons, is a statement from Tottenham that they believe they’ve found a diamond in the rough.
This was a good test here up against Chelsea’s Josh Acheampong, arguably Melia’s toughest to date against a Premier League caliber defender.
Melia battled hard and got one opportunity in the box, only for the ball to get trapped under his feet.
But there was plenty of off the ball work that showed coaches will love his running and work rate as he prepares to team up with Tottenham starlet Luca Williams-Barnett in their Under-21s.
Quietly Spurs’ academy are building a devastating front line.
