England ensured they progressed to the last-16 of this summer’s rearranged European Championship as Group D winners with a 1-0 win over the Czech Republic last night.
Desperate to put things right after Friday evening’s below-par performance against Scotland, which saw the Three Lions forced to settle for a point in a forgettable 0-0 draw, England got back to winning ways thanks to Raheem Sterling’s second goal of the tournament.
The Manchester City winger netted the only goal of the game after just 12 minutes, heading home from close range, to seal all three points for Gareth Southgate’s side, meaning they will lock horns with one of Germany, France, Hungary or Portugal at Wembley next Tuesday in the last 16.
Although it was Sterling who delivered the goods to seal England a second win of the tournament, it was the performance of Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka that attracted the most attention. The 19-year-old was nothing short of sensational in his first appearance at a major international tournament, running the Czech Republic defenders ragged at times with his pace and trickery.
Saka was a constant threat throughout the first half, using his pace and athleticism to great effect, proving exactly why Gareth Southgate was so keen to include him in the starting line-up.
Unsurprisingly, his performance underneath the Wembley arch was soon hailed by Arsenal’s supporters, who would have been delighted with what they had seen from the academy graduate.
But as well as being impressed by what they saw from Saka individually, some Gunners supporters were also in awe of the way the winger linked up with Jack Grealish, who was also handed his first start of the tournament against the Czechs.
The pair were England’s most creative players and caused endless problems when they were in possession.
That prompted some Arsenal fans to soon start dreaming of what it would be like if Grealish were to make the switch to the Emirates Stadium – a transfer many supporters have been dreaming of in recent months – and link-up with Saka and Emile Smith Rowe.
As can be seen above, taking to social media, some Arsenal fans felt it would be a “dream” and solve a number of their problems.
Although Arsenal are desperate to add a new attacking-midfielder to their ranks this summer, the likelihood of Grealish making the move is somewhat slim, with Villa reportedly valuing him at around £100million.
Given that the Gunners have plans to bolster various areas of the squad this summer, the chances of them splashing out that sort of money on just one player are pretty much non-existent.
But, with Grealish having become such a favourite for many Arsenal fans, they have dared to dream about what life could be like if he were to swap Villa Park for the Emirates Stadium.
Based on how he and Saka linked up for England last night, you can understand their enthusiasm.