England U21s completed their Euro qualifying campaign in style, with second-half screamers from Reiss Nelson and Kieran Dowell sealing a 2-0 win over Scotland.
The Young Lions had secured their spot in next summer’s Euro Finals in Italy with a game to spare following last Thursday’s win over Andorra and this result meant England finished Group 4 eight points clear of second-placed Netherlands.
Boss Aidy Boothroyd made ten changes to the line-up to face the Auld Enemy, with only keeper Dean Henderson keeping his spot and full U21 debuts for both Nelson and Harvey Barnes.
And it was Nelson, who caught the eye from the bench in Chesterfield last week, who opened the scoring with a stunning free-kick before Dowell added an equally special shot in stoppage time.
England had controlled the first half, enjoying the best of the possession and opportunities at Tynecastle without managing to break the deadlock.
Both Dominic Solanke and Tammy Abraham were off-target when meeting crosses from the right by Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Barnes respectively.
Barnes then curled a shot high and wide from inside the box after Abraham had slipped a pass to him in space. Abraham himself then came closer just before the break, when a swift move ended with a shot on goal, only for Scottish goalkeeper Ross Doohan to save with his legs.
It was Scotland who had the best chance of the half though, when captain Ross McCrorie shot over the bar following a deep free-kick from Lewis Morgan.
Barnes came closer after the break, when Doohan denied him a debut goal with a smart save, but the Scotland goalkeeper had no chance shortly after, when the breakthrough came on the hour mark.
And what a strike it was as 18-year-old Nelson, currently on loan at Hoffenheim from Arsenal, stepped up from 30 yards to whizz a free-kick into the top corner and add his second goal for the U21s in as many games.
Any momentum that Scotland found in the search for an equaliser was killed off in the last minute, when Dowell caressed a shot into the top corner with his trusted left-foot to leave England jubilant in Edinburgh.
England: 1 Dean Henderson (Sheffield United, loan from Manchester United), 3 Jay Dasilva (Bristol City, loan from Chelsea), 12 Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Crystal Palace), 14 Josh Onomah (Sheffield Wednesday, loan from Tottenham Hotspur), 15 Jake Clarke-Salter (Vitesse Arnhem, loan from Chelsea), 16 Fikayo Tomori (Derby County, loan from Chelsea), 17 Kieran Dowell (Everton), 19 Reiss Nelson (Hoffenheim, loan from Arsenal), 20 Dominic Solanke (Liverpool), 21 Harvey Barnes (West Bromwich Albion, loan from Leicester City), 23 Tammy Abraham (Aston Villa, loan from Chelsea).
Substitutes: 10 Phil Foden (Manchester City) for Onomah 72, 11 Ryan Sessegnon (Fulham) for Nelson 73, 9 Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton) for Abraham 87
Substitutes not used: 4 Lewis Cook (AFC Bournemouth), 6 Ezri Konsa (Brentford), 7 Ademola Lookman (Everton), 13 Angus Gunn (Southampton)
Head coach: Aidy Boothroyd
Goals: Reiss Nelson 60, Kieran Dowell 90+2
