Jude Bellingham got England off to the perfect start when he thumped a header past Predrag Rajkovic to put England in front in the 13th minute.
Harry Kane saw his headed effort after the break tipped onto the bar superbly after the break, with Gareth Southgate’s side forced to dig deep after a resurgent Serbian display in the second half.
Here is how Metro.co.uk rated the performances of each England player.
Jordan Pickford – 7
Didn’t have to make a save in the first half but came off his line well when required to claim loose balls and crosses. Reacted very well late on to tip Dusan Vlahovic’s effort over the bar.
Kyle Walker – 7
Always a reliable performer for England and solid again tonight. Got forward with purpose in the first half but did equally well in defence when Serbia came on strong after the break.
John Stones – 7
Had an injury scare in England’s final warm-up against Iceland but showed how important he was to England’s defence tonight. Worked well alongside Marc Guehi.
Marc Guehi – 8
An assured display coming into central defence to replace Harry Maguire. Was composed on the ball, never looked out of place and dealt well with the threat of Serbian’s physical strikers.
Kieran Trippier – 6
Made a good intervention to prevent Aleksandar Mitrovic from meeting Filip Mladenovic’s cross and provided plenty of height in attack down the left but failed to complete a cross in the entire 90 minutes. Solid but the lack of a natural left-back continues to inhibit England’s ability to stretch the game down both flanks.
Trent Alexander-Arnold – 6
Was brought in to provide more creativity in central midfield and certainly did that at points with pinpoint switches of play. Nearly punished by Mitrovic after giving away the ball cheaply in the first half and sacrificed in the second half when England wanted more bite in the middle of the park. Jury still out.
Declan Rice – 8
Compounded a superb maiden season at Arsenal into a top-notch display in England’s opener. Buzzed around putting out fires all over the pitch, no doubt fulfilling exactly what Gareth Southgate asked of him before the match.
Bukayo Saka – 7
Broke into this England team at the last Euros in 2021 and has only gone from strength to strength since then. Ran the Serbian defence ragged down the right side in the first half and produced the all-important cross for Bellingham’s opener. Failed to replicate that threat after the break.
Jude Bellingham – 8
Made way to a hero’s reception after scoring what proved to be England’s winner early in the first half with a perfectly timed run into the box. An all-action display, especially in the first half.
Phil Foden – 5
A display that will only exacerbate talk about the Manchester City star’s inability to replicate his club form in Southgate’s England side. Drifted infield and looked to get into dangerous positions but failed to have a shot all game.
Harry Kane – 6
A largely quiet first game from England’s captain. Had just two touches in the first half before seeing a header denied superbly by Predrag Rajkovich in the second half. Goalscoring exploits weren’t needed tonight but England won’t want too many more performances like that from their star striker.
Substitutes
Conor Gallagher (Alexander Arnold 69′) – 6
Jarrod Bowen (Saka 76′) – 7
Kobbie Mainoo (Bellingham 86′) – N/A
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