Two players remained from the Young Lions side who lifted the European Championships for the Under 21s two years ago.
Captain Harvey Elliott was one of those, and he unleashed a powerful drive to put the first goal on the board for England in this tournament before the interval.
After Tino Livramento dazzled down the left flank in a snippet of his combination play with Omari Hutchinson, Jonathan Rowe applied a deft touch to catch Czech goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek off guard and he was unable to steer the ball to safety.
England had acquired a two goal advantage but Daniel Fila’s header halved the deficit three minutes after Lowe’s goal.
Centre-back Charlie Cresswell turned the tables on the Czech, when he rose above them and initiated the same scuffles he had been subjected to when defending his own box. He directed his header into the net by meeting Alex Scott’s threatening delivery, and advanced England to their first three points.
James Beadle – 7
The goalkeeper started 38 games at Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship in his recent loan spell before he was dropped for the final 8 games of the campaign. England’s latest frontrunner between the sticks admitted to his dip in performance which saw him omitted from plans at The Owls during the run-in.
However, he was on duty to deny the Czechs from seizing advantage against the momentum, particularly when Jarell Quansah almost diverted a corner into his own net. Beadle was on hand to stop the ball on the line with expert composure.
The Brighton youngster was calm with the ball at his feet when required and was simply unable to impede Fila’s point-black header.
Archie Gray – 7
Gray was Carsley’s youngest starter for this fixture but also his most capped at domestic level coming into the competition.
Gray was thrown in at the deep end and forced to call upon his versatility for Tottenham Hotspur in his 46 appearances across the season.
The teenager was aggressive and unafraid to contest duels against Martin Suchomel and when Vaclav Sejk drifted over to the right. He had positive injections of pace, moving forwards with the ball at points, and looked settled in one of his preferred roles at full-back.
Jarell Quansah – 7
The Liverpool defender has been the talk of the town in Leverkusen as Erik Ten Haag’s side are reportedly one of the clubs in line to snap up the 22-year-old, according to GOAL.
He looked comfortable in-possession and progressed forwards with the ball at the right times to draw some of the opposition forwards out of position.
His partnership with Cresswell was sturdy, despite his slight scare when he was forced to adjust his body to try and avert danger from a dangerous flick-on in the box from a corner.
His success in the French top flight in winning aerial duels has stood above the rest and his performance for the Young Lions showcased this attribute in abundance.
Czechia were relying very much on set-pieces to win the tie and these did cause concern.
Their corners came to no avail despite their scuffling and blocking in the box, and Cresswell left his mark and powered several headers away, even giving the Czechs a taste of their own medicine by notching England’s third of the night.
He also marked physical number nine Sejk, who is the second highest scorer in under 21s history for Czechia, nullifying his presence.
Sejk choosing to attach himself to Cresswell actually paid dividends for the majority of proceedings in Slovakia to the English youngster, excluding Sejk’s assist when Cresswell afforded the striker too much time.
Tino Livramento – 9
The standout performer for England fitted the mold of Carsley’s inclination to employ versatility, slotting in as an inverted left-back.
He had been commended by Thomas Tuchel prior to the tournament, and is clearly one member of the squad on the peripheries of a senior call-up.
He held his width well while also showing competence when moving inside to receive the ball.
His link-up play with Omari Hutchinson has surely settled Carsley’s opinion on the pair playing together for the remainder of the games.
His forward runs were the principal outlet as England attempted to unpick the lock of Czechia primarily down the left flank. His work on the ball was rightly rewarded with an assist as Livramento bamboozled his defender before sending in a threatening ball for Lowe to flick towards goal.
England centurion Ashley Cole, who is among the coaching staff for the camp, may have worked some more magic on this rising star.
Elliot Anderson – 8
17 seconds after kick-off, Elliot Anderson received a yellow card. Perhaps a harsh punishment for his infringement so early on, but he set the tone as he has done for Nottingham Forest of being solid defensively.
Though there have been snippets, neat footwork and penetrating passes through the lines have been few and far between at Forest, but this side of his game came out as he progressed the play and was eager to support the front line.
He missed just one game for Nuno’s side last term and refraining from committing another foul perhaps suggests his experience is also now shining through.
Alex Scott – 8
Scott provided a crucial block from a Czech set piece in the 28th minute. He snuffed out danger well and led several flurries of counter pressing which became important for England in earlier stages to summon more clear-cut chances.
He was tidy in possession, echoing his style under Andoni Iraola’s tutelage at Bournemouth. His assist capped off an impressive display, stepping up into the previously assigned role of Jobe Bellingham in the midfield.
Harvey Elliot – 7
The Liverpool man miscued some simple passes which went astray in much of the first half. He seemed to be finding his feet and sometimes over-complicating his decision-making.
However, England’s top scorer from the qualifying period fired a delightful shot through bodies and found the net at a crucial time for England.
From then on, his level increased and he looked more at ease with his teammates. An important goal to get him up and running personally.
Omari Hutchinson – 9
England’s spark from minute one with a scintillating performance and intimidating double act with Livramento on the left.
He was positionally intelligent, floating into the inside pocket while interchanging with Livramento and moving wide to create conflict.
The Ipswich Town winger was playing with freedom, gliding past defenders.
He instigated England’s first goal with courage to dribble on his weaker side to advance his side up the pitch, and spelled danger throughout for the Czech defenders.
James McAtee – 7
McAtee favoured an opportunity at these Euros over joining Manchester City at the Club World Cup and was given the captain’s armband by Carsley for his decision.
He boasts 18 caps and 7 goals for the under 21s, but he struggled as a false nine in the first half, being shuffled backwards and facing his own goal to receive.
His assist to sweep the ball to Elliot showcased some nice quality which justified his selection, however his tame efforts and lacklustre threat compared to his other attacking teammates left quite a bit to be desired.
Jonathan Rowe – 7
Not in his typically set talismanic role as a number nine, Rowe floated across the left channel and central areas.
He brought energy without the ball but was left in the shadows by Hutchinson and Livramento in terms of his influence.
He has 3 goals in 30 appearances for Marseille during his loan spell from parent club Norwich, but his goal albeit debatably his to claim, came as a result of some seasoned striker’s instinct and will be crucial moving forwards for confidence.
Substitutes:
Jay Stansfield – 6
League One’s transfer record signing ensured he set the example coming off the bench with energy, not necessarily with the ball.
His cameo did not require the goalscoring prowess reflective of 19 goals in the league with Birmingham, but he played his part for the team with a lead to protect.
Ethan Nwaneri – 7
Bukayo Saka’s understudy at Arsenal was electric from his first involvement and he was forward-thinking and willing to express his trickery.
Defenders were scrambling to contain the teenager since his introduction in the 68th minute, and Carsley has been sent a stark message by Nwaneri that he should not be excluded from the starting eleven in the upcoming games.
The Middlesbrough loanee looked sharp for his brief stint and slotted into Carsley’s intended fluidity on the ball really well.
He had big boots to fill when replacing Hutchinson, but the intensity on the left side did not drop off when Iling-Junior featured.
Hayden Hackney – N/A
Tyler Morton – N/A