Ethan Nwaneri the 'star of the show' and Jamie Gittens scores a beauty as England Under-21s earn impressive win in Moldova

Operating with plenty of freedom as a number 10, Nwaneri played a crucial role as England broke the deadlock after 28 minutes. The 18-year-old attracted two Moldova players as he made a brilliant run before offloading the ball to Gittens, who cut inside and found the bottom corner with a fantastic strike. It was Gittens’ first U21s goal since scoring in his side’s 7-0 thrashing of Luxembourg back in March 2024.

And Nwaneri picked up where he left off after the half-time interval, playing a delightful pass through to Manchester City striker Divin Mubama who doubled England’s lead after 68 minutes. Nwaneri was involved yet again moments later as another clever through ball found Fulham midfielder Josh King, who was brought down inside the area for a penalty. Mubama was given the responsibility for the spot-kick and he coolly slotted the ball home to make it 3-0 to the visitors, who then added a fourth late on through City defender Rico Lewis.

The victory over Moldova ensured England kept up their perfect record in qualification for the European Championship, having beaten Kazakhstan U21s 2-0 in their opening fixture in September. Lee Carsley’s side briefly topped Group D following the win over Moldova but the 2-2 draw between the Republic of Ireland and Slovakia saw both sides move above them. They have played one game more than England, however.

Nwaneri will be hoping his fine form during the international break will help him secure more first-team minutes at Arsenal. The youngster has found opportunities hard to come by in 2025-26, having been an unused substitute in five of Arsenal’s 10 fixtures in all competitions this season. However, with Martin Odegaard having sustained a knee injury in the Gunners’ 2-0 Premier League victory over West Ham before the international break, manager Mikel Arteta will be considering who is best placed to replace his captain when his side return to action against Fulham on Saturday, 18 October. And Nwaneri has done his chances no harm after starring in a midfield role in England U21s’ win over Moldova, with many believing he is better when deployed in the middle of the park rather than out wide.

And Chelsea winger Gittens will also be hoping he can replicate his England form at club level when he returns to Stamford Bridge following the international break. The 21-year-old is still waiting for his first league goal since joining the Blues from Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund in the summer. Gittens was a second-half substitute as Enzo Maresca’s side secured a dramatic 2-1 victory over Liverpool in their last league outing on Sunday, 4 October, with teenager Estevao Willian scoring a last-gasp winner. Chelsea return to action when they take on troubled Nottingham Forest on Saturday, 18 October.

England U21s will lock horns with Andorra in another European Championship qualifier at Pride Park Stadium on Monday evening. Carsley’s young side, who have won back-to-back European Championships under his stewardship, will then take on the Republic of Ireland and Slovakia in their next qualifiers in November.