Declan Rice, Mason Mount and Phil Foden were all on target to repeat a feat last managed all the way back in 1883
England’s new generation of talent came to the fore at Wembley on Wednesday to achieve a landmark that had last been reached in the 19th century.
The Three Lions took on Iceland in the UEFA Nations League playing for pride after missing out on a spot in the competition’s final phase.
Belgium and Denmark were the only two sides in Group A2 still able to take first place and advance to the semi-finals, while Gareth Southgate took the opportunity to inject youth into his first-team squad.
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And the kids came through with flying colours as Iceland were dispatched 4-0 in a one-sided clash.
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Declan Rice opened the scoring 20 minutes in, before Mason Mount quickly added another to send the hosts into half-time with a two-goal advantage.
After the break Manchester City youngster Phil Foden took centre-stage, netting twice to seal an easy win for Southgate’s charges.
Rice and Mount are both 21, with Foden a year younger at 20. Together, the trio marked a special bit of history for the Three Lions.
3 – @England have had three players aged 21 or younger score in the same match for the first time since February 1883 vs Ireland (William Cobbold, Oliver Whateley and Frank Pawson). Lions. pic.twitter.com/HjObIgNsvO
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 18, 2020
Not since 1883, in the very first days of international football, had three players aged 21 or younger managed to score in a senior England game.
Rice, Mount and Foden thus follow in the footsteps of William Cobbold, Oliver Whateley and Frank Pawson, who all got on the scoresheet against Ireland 137 years ago.
Bukayo Saka, 19, also started, meaning that England fielded four players under 22 for the first time since a Home Nations clash against Northern Ireland in November 1959.
Foden received an additional distinction, becoming the first England player under 21 ever to score more than once in a match at Wembley.
The Three Lions will be back in action in 2021, kicking off their World Cup qualification campaign for Qatar in March with two games.
But they will have to wait until December’s draw to find out who their opponents are, with the groups set to be decided in a virtual ceremony held in Zurich.
