Assured Gomes shows he can play a big part in solving midfield possession problem

THE sight of Angel Gomes strutting his stuff on the Wembley turf was a slightly curious one: he was dwarfed by those around him, yet his influence was larger than most.

- Dom Smith

His first start for England was an assured one, and there is clear precedent for 5ft 6in midfielders imposing themselves as the metronomic figure that makes the national team sing. Paul Scholes, a Manchester United star when Gomes was progressing through their academy, was precisely the same height.

One lax header, allowing Finland a rare counter, was his only misstep. By the end of England’s 2-0 win, Gomes (left, last night) had completed 116 of his 124 passes, the first player to achieve more than 100 on debut for the Three Lions. No team-mate attempted or completed more.

His brief was a similarly selfless one to that which he carries out in Ligue 1 for Lille, collecting from the two centre-backs, pivoting and sliding shrewd but simple passes into team-mates.