Thomas Tuchel hails Lewis Hall as Anthony Gordon admits he misses Newcastle teammate
Lewis Hall earned praise from Thomas Tuchel and a warm message from Anthony Gordon after helping England to a 2-0 Nations League win over Czechia on Tuesday night.
The Newcastle left-back made his fifth senior appearance in Prague, starting after Nico O’Reilly was ruled out through injury. Gordon and Harry Kane supplied the goals, but Hall also made a useful contribution as he looked to strengthen his claim to a regular England place.
It was the opportunity he had been waiting for after speaking about his determination to respond to his World Cup omission before the game.
Tuchel praises Hall after England win
Asked about his full-backs afterwards, Tuchel was pleased with both Hall and Trent Alexander-Arnold. In comments published by England Football, he said:
“Lewis [Hall] did excellent on the other side, so well done.”
Alexander-Arnold provided the cross for Gordon’s opening header, with Tuchel also praising the difficulty of the finish. Hall nearly helped create another goal when his low delivery was diverted against the far post by Czech captain Ladislav Krejčí in the second half.
England had struggled to break through before the interval despite Pavel Šulc’s early dismissal, but their greater urgency after the restart brought the two goals and a deserved win.
Gordon enjoys his reunion with Hall
There was also a familiar partnership down England’s left, with Gordon back alongside his former Newcastle teammate.
The Barcelona winger had a simple message about that reunion in his post-match interview:
“I miss playing with Hally. He’s a top lad and it’s nice to share this stage with him.”
The pair combined on the pitch too, with Gordon setting Hall up for a second-half shooting chance that he dragged wide.
For us, the encouraging part is that Hall used his opportunity to show what he can offer going forward. Czechia playing with ten men means there will be tougher defensive examinations, but his willingness to get beyond Gordon and deliver into the box gave England another threat.
After the disappointment of the summer, a productive start and public backing from Tuchel is a decent response. He deserves another opportunity to build on it.
