LONDON, ENGLAND - Thursday, October 8, 2020: England's Dominic Calvert-Lewin (R) celebrates after scoring the first goal with team-mate Danny Ings during the International Friendly match between England and Wales at Wembley Stadium. The game was played behind closed doors due to the UK Government’s social distancing laws prohibiting supporters from attending events inside stadiums as a result of the Coronavirus Pandemic. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Danny Ings & Conor Coady star as Liverpool duo face off in England win over Wales

Ex-Liverpool duo Conor Coady and Danny Ings both scored as England beat Wales 3-0 in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday, in which Joe Gomez and Neco Williams featured.

England 3-0 Wales

Friendly, Wembley
October 8, 2020

Goals: Calvert-Lewin 26′, Coady 53′, Ings 63′


The Three Lions kicked off the first of their three fixtures of the international break as they hosted Ryan Giggs’ Wales in a friendly played behind closed doors.

Gomez was the only Liverpool player to start, with Trent Alexander-Arnold an unused substitute for England and Jordan Henderson left out entirely, while Williams came off the bench for Wales, leaving Ben Woodburn unused.

After a frenetic start, England dominated for the majority of the game, and grabbed their opener through the in-form Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the 26th minute.

Jack Grealish, fresh from his scintillating performance for Aston Villa on Sunday, was the standout performer for the Three Lions, but Coady and Ings caught the eye at either end.

It took until the 53rd minute for England to add to their tally, and it was the most unlikely of scorers as Coady stabbed home the far post from a set-piece.

The former Liverpool under-21s captain wheeled away in delight, with it being only the 12th senior goal of a career that has so far brought 342 appearances.

LONDON, ENGLAND - Thursday, October 8, 2020: Englands Conor Coady celebrates after scoring the second goal during the International Friendly match between England and Wales at Wembley Stadium. The game was played behind closed doors due to the UK Government’s social distancing laws prohibiting supporters from attending events inside stadiums as a result of the Coronavirus Pandemic. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Ings soon joined in the action, and his goal came with a spectacular overhead kick after Tyrone Mings’ knocked-down header, capped a bright performance as part of Gareth Southgate’s forward line.

Of the current Reds contingent, Gomez was brought off in the 58th minute with a likely start against Belgium on Sunday in mind, while Williams was energetic in his 27-minute cameo, including one dangerous cross from the right.

The overriding positive was that it seems that neither sustained any injury during the game, and Alexander-Arnold was kept off as Reece James was Southgate’s go-to substitute at right wing-back.

Liverpool’s No. 66 is likely to start against both Belgium and Denmark over the next week, while Gomez is also expected to feature heavily at centre-back.

There is a real sense of joy gleaned from watching the pair of Coady and Ings finally flourishing on the international scene, and while neither was able to hold down a place at Liverpool, there will be a pride within the club after their night at Wembley.