Manchester City duo Raheem Sterling and John Stones both played their part in all-but securing Gareth Southgate the England job on a permanent basis with an enthralling 2-2 win over Spain at Wembley.
Adam Lallana converted an early penalty, won by himself after being brought down by Pepe Reina, before a superb cross from Jordan Henderson was met by Jamie Vardy at the back post, bulleting England into a two-goal lead.
The latter stages of the second half offered little in the way of entertainment until former Liverpool striker Iago Aspas curled a shot into the top corner in the dying minutes to give Spain faint hopes of revival. Out-of-favour Real Madrid playmaker Isco then scored with the final kick of the game to deny the Three Lions and Southgate a memorable victory.
Sterling was the star of the show for the home team and caused continuous havoc for a reasonably inexperienced Spain back three. His directness and pace on the counter-attack saw the visitors change their system early in the second half with hopes of neutralising his threat. Sterling, however, was withdrawn shortly after, allowing Andros Townsend to get some minutes for his country.
Stones, meanwhile, silenced critics who doubted his credentials after a series of dangerous passes against Scotland. The 22-year-old often put goalkeeper Joe Hart and centre-back partner Gary Cahill under immense pressure on the ball because of the way he has adapted to playing under City boss Pep Guardiola. Against Spain, however, the frequency of these situations was dramatically reduced and Stones isolated opposition striker Aritz Aduriz from the game.
City playmaker David Silva captained Spain on a night where they were frustrated by an impressively resolute England team. Silva was involved in the majority of Spain’s intricate build-up play before being replaced by Isco midway through the second half – prior to their late comeback.
Nolito also available for selection for Spain but remained an unused substitute, just as he did in their World Cup Qualifier against Macedonia last week.
All four players will now return to Manchester and begin to prepare for this weekend’s fixture against Crystal Palace.
