England player ratings: Anthony Gordon struggles will have Barcelona sweating but Elliot Anderson remains solid presence

ENGLAND were brought back down to earth as they laboured to a 0-0 draw with Ghana. The Three Lions had gotten their World Cup campaign off to a perfect start last week by beating Croatia 4-2 in Texas. Much was expected from their second group game, but Thomas Tuchel‘s side never truly got going. Ghana put up stubborn resistance under their wily boss Carlos Queiroz. Despite England‘s efforts, they could not break through. Here’s how SunSport’s Tom Barclay rated each England performer in Massachusetts. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL Jordan Pickford – 6 Endured one scary moment in an otherwise eventless match as he and Prince Adu clattered into each other as the Ghanaian raced towards the box. Fortunately, the free-kick was given against Adu and Pickford ended up with his 46th clean sheet in 86 appearances. Reece James – 5 With England struggling to find joy through a congested middle, it was up to the players on the flanks to make things happen. Chelsea right-back James did have one decent link-up with Noni Madueke with an underlapping run, but that was about it. Most read in Football WORLD CUP 2026 FREE BETS AND SIGN UP OFFERS Ezri Konsa – 5 Had his heart in his mouth after a risky challenge on Adu late on, but luckily the ref did not give a penalty. Because of Ghana’s low block, no-press approach, he touched the ball almost three times more than Ghana’s most involved player. Marc Guehi – 6 Came in for John Stones and did not do anything wrong, though he was not tested much by Ghana’s defensively-minded attack Had a header cleared off the line in stoppage time. Djed Spence – 7 The first Muslim player to start a game for England at a World Cup, as he came in for Nico O’Reilly. Refused to shake Thomas Partey’s hand before kick-off. Made a great tackle on Marvin Senaya early on in the second half after the Auxerre defender had snuck in behind Anthony Gordon, yet was subbed on 65. Elliot Anderson – 7 England’s quarter-back in midfield at the home of the NFL icon Tom Brady and our only impressive performer in tedious first half. He ran things from the middle of the park and played passes forward with a zip others lacked. Declan Rice – 6 His set-pieces failed to hit his usual heights and was bullied off the ball, but also was in the right place at the right time for his team defensively late on. You have to wonder just how much this neural pain that Rice has been managing since Christmas is affecting him. Booked. Noni Madueke – 5 Largely ineffectual down England’s left as Ghana doubled up on him throughout. Fired a poor shot high and wide just before he switched to the left when Bukayo Saka came on, but again he struggled to make an impact. Jude Bellingham – 5 Earned his 50th cap, breaking Wayne Rooney’s record to become the youngest ever Englishman to reach that haul, eight days short of his 23rd birthday. But this was hardly one of his best games with some lax play in possession and even risked a red card by seeming to hold his hand over his mouth when speaking to opponent Jordan Ayew. Anthony Gordon – 4 Anonymous, barring having England’s first shot on target with 57 minutes gone with a tame effort straight at the keeper. Will do well to keep Marcus Rashford out of the team at this rate. 4 Harry Kane – 4 Went past the watching Sir David Beckham by making his 116th cap. Went down after a clash of heads with Jonas Adjetey and was clattered by Thomas Partey just after the hour, but Ghana neutralised England’s captain well. Skied a golden late chance. Substitutes: Nico O’Reilly for Spence (65): 7 Bukayo Saka for Anthony Gordon (65): 7 Eberechi Eze for Elliot Anderson (74): 6 Morgan Rogers for Jude Bellinghan (74): 7 Marcus Rashford for Noni Madueke (83): 6 GHANA Asare 7; Senaya 8 (Peprah Oppong 7); Adjetey 7; Opoku 8; Mensah 8; Yirenkyi 7; Partey 7; Sibo 7; Williams 7 (Fatawu 7); Ayew 7 (Adu 7); Semenyo 6. World Cup 2026 - all the info LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED! This year’s World Cup is like no other as a record-breaking 48 nations compete to lift football’s biggest prize. England manager Thomas Tuchel is hoping to finally bring football home after a 60-year drought. But footballing legends Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have other plans in what will likely be their final World Cup appearance. SunSport have got everything you need for the huge tournament LATEST NEWS - Fans locked inside stadium after Netherlands vs Sweden clash - Ivory Coast centre back’s ‘sickening’ shirt number sparks uproar - EXCL: How Jamie Vardy is quietly helping England’s rivals Ghana - Former mayor forced to issue statement about her boobs KEY INFO - World Cup 2026 full match schedule including kick-off times - World Cup 2026 full squads - World Cup 2026 rule changes - World Cup 2026 prize money VIDEO - Proper Football Daily: Get all the expert analysis each morning - Team Talk – Tactics Exposed: Dive into the tactical talking points TIPS AND BETTING If you click a link in this article, we will earn affiliate revenue.