Anthony Gordon said he had been "dying" to play with Trent Alexander-Arnold for England, after the duo combined to great effect in Tuesday's Nations League win over Czechia.
The Three Lions bounced back from their 3-2 defeat to Spain with a 2-0 victory in Prague, with Gordon and Harry Kane on target following Pavel Sulc's red card.
Gordon's goal – which was the first he has scored with his head for his country – took him to eight goal involvements in his last nine appearances for England (four goals, four assists).
Gordon was also on target against Spain on Saturday, and he is just the second Barcelona player to score in back-to-back games for England, after Gary Lineker in 1989.
He was picked out superbly by Alexander-Arnold's deep delivery to the far post, with the Real Madrid full-back winning his first cap in over a year, having been omitted from Thomas Tuchel's squads throughout last season and for the World Cup.
Alexander-Arnold's assist was his first for England since September 2024, against Finland in the last edition of the Nations League, under Lee Carsley.
"I make that run time and time again and only a certain number of players have that ability, technique and bravery to be willing to make the mistake trying that pass," Gordon said of Alexander-Arnold, talking to ITV Sport after the game.
"That's why he's so good and I've been dying to play with him for that reason.
"He's had his own journey with England. He would've liked to have played more than he has, but he's been a great character during this camp, I've really enjoyed being around him."
When those comments were put to Alexander-Arnold, he replied: "It's a great compliment, and he's great to play with.
"I spoke to Ant at half-time and said, 'if I'm getting into those spaces, make sure you get to the back post'. You don't expect to get it that fast, but we did and it worked.
"I try to get the ball and try and see what the best play is, to try and play forward and create something, and I was able to make that pass.
"When they go down to 10 men there's more pressure on us to win the game, but actually it makes it more difficult, they get very compact and defend.
"It was very hard to break them down, but we got that early on in the second half, which is what we needed."
Reflecting on his time out of the England setup, Alexander-Arnold – who has won on 20 of his 27 international starts – added: "It's always an honour to represent my country.
"It's been a long time, but I've always believed I can play for England. It was about proving it at club level. The manager gave me a chance, and hopefully he is happy with how I played."
The Three Lions visit Croatia for their third Nations League game on Saturday, before Czechia visit Wembley to round off this international break next Tuesday.