England 1-0 Australia: Ollie Watkins seals victory despite Gareth Southgate’s much-changed hosts struggling to break down the Socceroos

• England sealed a 1-0 victory over Australia at Wembley on Friday evening
• The hosts failed to impress as Gareth Southgate made a host of changes
• Listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s podcast ‘It’s All Kicking Off!’

The FA didn’t light up the Wembley arch and Gareth Southgate’s England players didn’t light up the field. This was a night of football that many would rather quickly forget.

One of those will be Jordan Henderson, booed on and off the pitch as captain by a section of England fans who cannot see beyond his recent decision to leave the Premier League for Saudi Arabia.

This is football in 2023, at times. Political, complicated, sensitive and, on this occasion, utterly unfulfilling.

It is not often we say this about Southgate’s England. They do not often disappoint us. Here, though, a second-string team played terribly poorly during a first half that should have seen them fall behind. Only weak Australian finishing spared them.

After that they were better. Jack Grealish teed up his old Aston Villa team-mate Ollie Watkins for the easiest of international goals just before the hour and as Southgate made change after change after change — six between the goal and the 73rd minute — England did improve to dominate territory in a way that had proved beyond them in the first half.

It wasn’t easy but England maintained their Wembley record with a 1-0 win over Australia in Friday’s friendly clash courtesy of a solo Ollie Watkins goal

Watkins struck in the second half after sliding in at the back-post to tap-in Jack Grealish’s initial effort

Even so, Australia should have secured the draw their football more than deserved only for Connor Metcalfe — a midfielder from Germany’s second tier — to head against the post from a corner when he seemed destined to score a famous goal with 10 minutes left.

For the opening 45 minutes, England were too slow, too disconnected and frankly too poor to make anything but the wrong impression on this wet London night.

MATCH FACTS

England (4-2-3-1): Johnstone; Alexander-Arnold, Tomori (Stones 61), Dunk, Colwill; Henderson (Trippier 61), Gallagher (Phillips 61); Bowen, Maddison (Foden 73), Grealish (Rashford 61); Watkins (Nketiah 73)

Goal: Watkins

Booked: Colwill, Gallagher

Manager: Gareth Southgate

Australia (4-2-3-1): Ryan; Strain (Miller 73), Souttar, Burgess, Rowles (Behich 83); Irvine, Baccus; Boyle (Mabil 83), Metcalfe (Toure 90), Goodwin (Borrello 73); Duke (Bos 73) 

Booked: Baccus, Strain, Irvine

Manager: Graham Arnold 

Their opponents were game and ambitious and excellent on the counter attack. Had their finishing matched all of that then they would have been ahead by a couple of goals. When you have a record and a ranking like England do, friendly games can feel like booby traps. Little to gain and an awful lot to lose.

They did create the first opening in the eighth minute as Jarrod Bowen slipped a ball through to Conor Gallagher down the right side. The Chelsea player’s low pass across goal could have been turned in by at least two team-mates but both seemed to slightly overrun the ball.

At the time that felt like a warning for Australia, but it was a false one. James Maddison played Watkins through the middle with a lovely pass in the 29th minute and the Aston Villa player rounded goalkeeper Mat Ryan and shot against the far post.

That apart, there was nothing from England. Australia, on the other hand, threatened regularly against an England back-four that look too uncomfortable too often.

With Trent Alexander-Arnold stepping into midfield from right back whenever possible, England did create some overloads. At times, though, the Liverpool player left what felt like an enormous hole behind him.

Australia had four clear chances in the half. The first came when Keanu Baccus’ cross from the left was deflected towards his own goal by Fikayo Tomori in the 12th minute. Sam Johnstone saved well at full stretch in the England goal.

Jordan Henderson (left) captained England in the absence of Harry Kane who was rested

Gareth Southgate rested the majority of his big-name stars in the friendly clash

Johnstone was pretty helpless soon after, meanwhile, when Mitchell Duke wrapped his right foot round a near post cross and volleyed inches wide from 12 yards. That would have been a superb goal.

Uncertain defending from a corner almost undid England not long after. After the ball was recycled, a cross to the near post could have been headed and then, as the ball dropped, Kye Rowles lifted it over from eight yards when he should have done better.

Ryan Strain did come closer right on half-time. He was played in astutely by Martin Boyle and though his low shot beat Johnstone, Lewis Dunk had made up ground to clear it off the line.

England simply had to be better in the second half and they were. Almost immediately they played with more urgency and directness. Such has been the change in Grealish under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City that his first instinct no longer seems to be to go past a defender. Here, for a while, that changed. 

Sam Johnstone was forced into making some impressive saves to deny Australia

Similarly, on the other side, Bowen crossed low and dangerously, causing the Australian defence to panic in a manner they hitherto had not needed to.

Then, just before the hour as Southgate was warming up his substitutes, England scored. A free-kick was cleared but when Alexander-Arnold delivered the loose ball to the far post, Australia got themselves in a muddle. 

The ball should never really have reached Grealish on the far side but when it did he controlled and shifted it expertly and that allowed him to drive it low across goal towards the corner. His shot may have gone in anyway but Watkins could not be sure, sliding in to nudge it over the line from a matter of inches.

James Maddison (left) sought to be England’s main creator in a difficult first half

Grealish and Watkins combined to score the only goal of the evening in England’s win

It was a lead England didn’t deserve at that stage. But for the following period and undoubtedly helped by a flurry of substitutes, they were the better team for the first time in the game.

That wasn’t an impression that quite lasted the distance as England slowly retreated to end the game as they had started, namely in a state of vague disorganisation.

By now Dunk was partnered by John Stones at centre half with Kieran Trippier at right back. Still there was nobody at home as Metcalfe thumped his header against the post late on.

It wasn’t the only scare, either, as England held on for this most unconvincing of wins. This will be a week the FA will be glad to get out of the way.

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