Conor Gallagher, Cole Palmer and Ian Maatsen opened their Euro campaigns with crucial victories.
Gallagher and Palmer’s England earned a nervy 1-0 win over Djordje Petrovic‘s Serbia in Gelsenkirchen to send the Three Lions top of Group C.
All of the Blues’ representatives in the match started on the bench as Jude Bellingham opened the scoring early for England, before Serbia turned up the pressure.
Heading into the final 20 minutes, Gallagher was brought into the fold by manager Gareth Southgate replacing Trent Alexander-Arnold in the middle of the park for his 14th international cap – his first at a major tournament after travelling to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar as part of the squad.
The Blues midfielder was a reliable and combative presence for the Three Lions winning plenty of fouls, helping to control the threat posed by Serbia, as England secured three important points.
Chelsea duo Palmer and Petrovic will have to wait for their first appearances at this year’s Euros with the pair unused substitutes during the contest.
England will now look ahead to facing Denmark on Thursday (20 June, 5pm KO UK time) knowing that another victory will earn them a place in the knockout stages, while Petrovic’s Serbia will take on Slovenia (Thursday 20 June, 2pm KO UK time).
Meanwhile, Ian Maatsen’s Netherlands went top of Group D with a 2-1 win over Poland. The full-back remained on the bench during the contest with Wout Weghorst’s late strike giving the Dutch all three points.
That followed earlier goals from fellow countryman Cody Gakpo and Poland’s Adam Buksa. The Netherlands’ next fixture will come against France on Friday night (21 June, 8pm KO UK time).