England U21s ratings GFXGetty/GOAL
Jude Summerfield

England Under-21s player ratings vs Slovenia: Ethan Nwaneri and Harvey Elliott fail to shine as Young Lions are held to frustrating Euros draw

England lacked inspiration despite fielding stars like Nwaneri and Elliott, but Tino Livramento and James Beadle were among those who impressed.

England Under-21s were held to a draw in their second European Championship fixture as Slovenia deservedly earned a point on a baking evening in Nitra, Slovakia.

Lee Carsley's side started in sloppy fashion as Slovenia went close on a few occasions, with one effort deflecting wide before Svit Seslar's overhead kick landed on the roof of the net. James McAtee had the Young Lions' first real sight of goal but could only drag his effort comfortably wide before Nwanneri failed to connect with Jonathan Rowe's fizzing low cross from point-blank range.

Positive signs began to emerge towards half-time as Harvey Elliott hit the woodwork and the start to the second half offered more encouragement as McAtee forced Martin Turk into a smart save before instinctively firing the rebound wide.

Carsley showed no fear in introducing fresh faces from the bench but no breakthrough arrived, leaving England on four points in Group B ahead of their next game against Germany on Wednesday..

GOAL rates England's players from Stadion pod Zoborom...

  • Jarell Quansah England Under-21s 2025Getty Images

    Goalkeeper & Defence

    James Beadle (7/10):

    Forced into a few saves in the first half and was called into action during the second period, dealing with shots well.

    Jarell Quansah (5/10):

    Made a sloppy start with some poor passing gifting Slovenia territory.

    Charlie Cresswell (6/10):

    Also had a few difficult moments in possession but got better as the game went on.

    Hayden Hackney (7/10):

    Rarely gave the ball away and made a number of important recoveries.

    Tino Livramento (7/10):

    Showed great pace in attack to reach the byline a couple of times and was rarely beaten at the back.

    • Advertisement
  • Harvey Elliott England Under-21s 2025Getty Images

    Midfield

    Archie Gray (6/10):

    Showed tenacity in defensive duels but was little more than steady throughout the encounter.

    Elliot Anderson (7/10):

    Grew into the game and had England ticking towards half-time.

    Harvey Elliott (6/10):

    Almost opened the scoring but saw an effort hit the post. Kept trying but nothing came off for him.

  • Ethan Nwaneri England Under-21s 2025Getty Images

    Attack

    James McAtee (5/10):

    Had a few opportunities but couldn't force the breakthrough.

    Jonathan Rowe (5/10):

    Was dangerous when he looked to get in behind Slovenia's defence but also came wide a little too often, leaving England without a presence in the box.

    Ethan Nwaneri (5/10):

    Might have bagged the opener on another day but couldn't connect with Rowe's cross.

  • Lee Carsley England Under-21s 2025Getty Images

    Subs & Manager

    Brooke Norton-Cuffy (5/10):

    Didn't make too much of an impact.

    Jack Hinshelwood (6/10):

    Nearly broke the deadlock late on.

    Omari Hutchinson (5/10):

    Tried to get involved but struggled like England's other attackers.

    Tyler Morton (4/10):

    A little wasteful and picked up a booking for his troubles.

    Jay Stansfield (5/10):

    Gave England a focal point but little more than that.

    Lee Carsley (4/10):

    Wouldn't have been happy with the careless way some of England's players started the game. Things didn't get much better afterwards and Carsley will have plenty to think about before the next game.