BBC Sport 'neutrals' react to England win over Czech Republic: Hall and Gordon praised, mixed views on other starters

England beat the Czech Republic 2-0 in Prague in a game that changed shape after Pavel Sulc received a red card on 25 minutes for a bad challenge on Elliot Anderson. Anthony Gordon opened the scoring on 47 minutes and Harry Kane added a second on 69. Several BBC Sport readers posting as neutrals used the result to revisit selection and performance questions.

Neutrals singled out two players above the rest. Lewis Hall drew repeated positive mentions: commenters called for him to be England's first-choice left back and described his tackling, tracking back and overlapping runs as strong parts of his game. Multiple comments suggested Hall was "decent," "superb," or "accomplished," and some pointed to good link-up play between Hall and Gordon.

Anthony Gordon also received praise. Neutral readers labelled his performance "strong," noted his contribution to the opener and said he is "quickly becoming our best player in an England shirt." One comment linked Gordon's recent form to a rise in reputation after criticism earlier in the year.

Trent Alexander-Arnold: Opinions split. Some neutrals argued a single cross in the match doesn't prove Trent is a top player and criticized his defensive qualities. Others defended him, saying the cross was "impressive" and that defensive shortcomings can be worked on.

Bukayo Saka: Several neutral comments questioned Saka's form. Observations included that he appeared slower, more predictable in his movement, and increasingly inclined to come inside rather than take opponents around the outside. One commenter suggested Saka "must be carrying an injury," while another dismissively wrote "Maybe he's just rubbish."

Hall's performance restarted conversations about the World Cup squad. Some neutrals said the decision not to take Hall to the World Cup "looks worse and worse every day" and even blamed it for costing England a place in a final. Others urged caution, noting it was easier to assess Hall against a team reduced to 10 men and calling for trials against stronger opposition before making definitive judgments.

A few neutrals praised the idea of playing a natural left back at left back, framed as an effective tactical choice. Thomas Tuchel received a sarcastic compliment in one comment calling him a "tactical genius" for the selection.

The neutral thread combines praise and barbs. Many comments are decisive and personal: supporters defending certain Newcastle- or Arsenal-linked players clashed with fans critical of those clubs' England representatives. Several readers explicitly noted the limited value of the result because the Czech Republic played most of the match with 10 men.