Jack Grealish has revealed that Trent Alexander-Arnold’s free-kick goal in England’s 3-1 win in Finland cost him £500.
Alexander-Arnold’s superb curler into the top corner was the highlight of an otherwise unconvincing England display with Grealish revealing he sparked the goal with some unusual motivation beforehand.
“I said ‘if you score this I’ll give you £500’ and then he just slapped it in the top bins. So I owe him now,” Grealish told ITV.
Grealish, left out of England’s Euro 2024 squad this summer by Gareth Southgate, has enjoyed a revival under interim coach Lee Carsley.
After starring in England’s win against the Republic of Ireland last month when deployed in a central role, Grealish returned to the wing in Helsinki and marked his comeback by opening the scoring.
“It was difficult at times in the first half but I think we dominated the game later on,” said Grealish.
“At the end we’re a bit gutted to concede the goal from a set piece. We needed a win today so I’m happy with that.”
In another unexpected positional shift, Alexander-Arnold lined up as England’s left-back. While his display will be remembered for his free-kick, it also featured a series of defensive vulnerabilities with Finland apparently targeting his area of the pitch.
“When you give Trent time, his delivery is fantastic,” summarised Roy Keane on ITV. “But I still can’t believe how bad he is defensively. Against better teams, he’ll get found out.”