The Republic of Ireland defeated England 2-0 on Saturday, and interim manager Lee Carsley stated that his team was "good in parts" but Roy Keane questioned the "arrogance" displayed in the second half of the game.
In their first Nations League match since Carsley was appointed interim manager, the Three Lions won comfortably with to early goals from Declan Rice and Jack Grealish, who received constant jeers from the home crowd for switching international teams.
England had an excellent first half, with some quick passing and one-touch play mixed in with some excellent counterattacking football. However, as Ireland got back into the game in the second half, they looked less formidable.
After the game, Carsley seemed to recognise his lack of control, telling ITV, "I thought it was good in parts." Some of the things we've attempted are visible to you.
"The boys must accept all the credit, a great deal of it. We've proven that we have some true skill, and the clean sheet is another reason to be incredibly happy."
However, England's performance deteriorated in the second half, which shocked Manchester United veteran Keane, who called it "awful". The former defensive midfielder also attacked the players' demeanour, saying that during times when the game was under control, they had displayed "a bit of arrogance" and complacency.
"The unfortunate thing about today is that Ireland was easily taken advantage of. We applauded England's decision-making and movement quality, as they dominated the first half," Keane stated.
In contrast, I thought they were terrible in the second half, playing only for themselves, taking too many touches, and trying to perform Roy of the Rovers passes. Maintain your composure and shut out Ireland, but in the second half, Ireland performed with great pride.
However, I felt that England's performance in the second half was just as poor as it had been in the first, with players going off on a haughty note and substitutions making a casual walk. This team is ripe for the plucking, particularly with its offensive talents. You are thinking, "I have a chance to score a goal," if you are on that pitch.
"I think you've got to give Ireland credit as well, they are very resilient, they closed the gaps and our space maybe became a bit wider [in the second half]," Carsley continued regarding the performance.
"We found it a little bit more difficult to get through them but at 2-0 we were quite comfortable."
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