Emile Smith Rowe’s first goal in nine months helped England Under-21s continue their Euros countdown in style with a 4-0 thumping of France.
The Arsenal forward’s second-half header ended his wait before late goals from Noni Madueke, Curtis Jones and Jacob Ramsey wrapped up a comprehensive victory.
It was Smith Rowe’s first start – for club or country – since last June after an injury-ravaged season with Madueke also stealing the show with a starring performance off the bench.
Goalkeeper James Trafford had to stop Manu Kone and Rayan Cherki in the first half but England rapidly improved after the break at the King Power Stadium to grab a statement win.
They now play Croatia at Craven Cottage on Tuesday in their final friendly before Euro 2023.
Boss Lee Carsley will use the game to fine tune ahead of the Euros, where the Young Lions face the Czech Republic, defending champions Germany and Israel in Georgia.
How England U21s thrashed France
Having beaten Germany and Italy in September there is plenty of room for optimism but England initially struggled against the visitors.
France were slicker and smoother than their hosts but their final ball routinely let them down.
The Young Lions’ last-ditch attempts to stop them finding space worked until they needed Trafford to deny Cherki after a neat interchange with Matthis Abline.
France’s Benoit Badiashile and England’s Cameron Archer battle for the ball
Smith Rowe and Harvey Elliott failed to make an impact and Cameron Archer was bullied by Chelsea’s Benoit Badiashile and Mohamed Simakan.
The Aston Villa striker, on loan at Middlesbrough, did have a sniff when Djed Spence’s cross deflected and looped to the far post but Lucas Chevalier smothered the danger.
Curtis Jones makes it 3-0 to England
Trafford turned Kone’s vicious strike over just before the break as the Young Lions contained, rather than controlled, the visitors.
But after the restart England were positive and got their reward five minutes into the half.
Oliver Skipp seized on Badiashile’s loose pass and found skipper Morgan Gibbs-White. The midfielder was given too much space and his fine cross picked out the unmarked Smith Rowe to head in from six yards.
Noni Madueke celebrates his goal
From there England were comfortable and they added three goals to seal the win, with Madueke’s 24-minute cameo crucial.
First, with 13 minutes left, substitutes Tommy Doyle, Madueke and Ramsey combined to slip in Madueke and the Chelsea winger drilled low past Chevalier.
Then just two minutes later Madueke found space on the left and crossed low for Jones to clip in from close range.
Ramsey then added the gloss to the performance with four minutes left when Madueke’s clever ball allowed him to fire in from five yards.
