The Tottenham Hotspur midfielder found the net in the second successive game for club and country in the 2-0 win over Malta.
England’s Dele Alli celebrates scoring their second goal
Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli was one of the goalscorers as England beat Malta 2-0 at Wembley in Gareth Southgate’s first game as Three Lions boss, and several figures in the footballing world praised him as part of ITV’s coverage of the game.
Winning his 14th cap for his country, Alli returned to the starting line-up having found himself on the bench for the win over Slovakia – Sam Allardyce’s sole match in charge. Against a Malta side who sat deep, the 20-year-old managed to repeatedly get in threatening positions, and should have arguably added to his single goal.
England’s Dele Alli celebrates scoring their second goal
After the game, fellow midfielder Jordan Henderson told ITV how impressed he was with Alli’s performance: “The number 10 role is perfect for Dele to go and affect the game in the space.
“He likes to get on the ball and play one-twos and I thought he was brilliant in that respect.”
Henderson wasn’t the only one to notice Alli’s attacking quality with the likes of Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs and Arsenal favourite Ian Wright also full of positive words, having watched the win from the studio.
The Welshman in particular appeared hugely excited by the former MK Dons man’s quality.
“I think he’s a fantastic young player,” Giggs said when asked about his performance.
England’s Dele Alli
“He does everything right in that number ten position. He can tackle, pass, score. He’s the perfect number ten in the modern age.”
When asked whether Wayne Rooney should return to the number ten position, Wright belied his Gunners connections by firmly putting his support behind the Tottenham midfielder.
“I don’t think Rooney is doing enough to get in front of Alli at the moment,” the former striker said. “He [Alli] drops back, comes forward, gets beyond the striker and scores. Why would you drop him?”
Fresh from winning the PFA Young Player of the Year award in his first season with Spurs, Alli is gradually getting back to form for the North Londoners. Just under a year after his sensational first goal for England against France, Alli has now added his second strike for the country.
Tottenham’s Dele Alli celebrates scoring their second goal
The youngster also put in arguably his best Spurs performance of the season, as the Lilywhites produced a fantastic display to comfortably defeat league leaders Manchester City at White Hart Lane.
Alli swept home a great finish to make it 2-0 for Spurs in that game, and he did the same for England. After netting 10 times last season, fans of club and country will be hoping he is just getting going.
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