England had the chance to secure their passage to the next round of this winter’s World Cup but were held by the USA in a sombre 0-0 draw in Qatar.
Gareth Southgate’s men would almost certainly have sealed qualification as group winners if they won against the USA but the North American giants did well to earn a draw.
The Three Lions boss named an unchanged side from the one which comfortably beat Iran earlier this week, with Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw among the starters. Marcus Rashford scored a goal as a second-half substitute in that game but was again restricted to the bench against the USA.
It was not a night to remember for England but one United player stood out and that was Maguire, who has started the tournament in stellar form.
The 29-year-old has been heavily criticised over the last 12 months but remains one of the first names on Southgate’s teamsheet. During and after the 0-0 draw, former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher took to Twitter to praise Maguire.
Harry Maguire brilliant defending those set pieces. The Delivery from Pulisic was fantastic!
USA still the better team, changed please Gareth! #WorldcupQatar2022— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) November 25, 2022
A draw was a fair result, the energy of Adams & Mckennie was excellent & Pulisic showed his class at times. Harry Maguire was superb for England. No Foden 🤷♂️ #WorldCup2022
— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) November 25, 2022
SN’s verdict…
Carragher described Maguire’s performance as ‘superb’ and that assessment is hard to argue with. It was also his 50th cap for England and you can see why Southgate is remaining loyal to the player, who is playing his third major international tournament.
Maguire is in desperate need of a good World Cup campaign as his position at club level remains under threat. As things stand, Erik ten Hag prefers Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof over him.
