Unsurprisingly, Roy Hodgson’s England were unable to recreate the free flowing football of Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool, but Reds stars Raheem Sterling and Daniel Sturridge played well – as did Southampton men Luke Shaw and Adam Lallana.
Read player ratings here:
Joe Hart – 7/10
Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart looked alert throughout, saved everything that came his way, and looked the least shaky of the back five for England.
Gary Cahill – 6/10
As solid as you’d expect from someone called Gary. Chelsea defender Gary Cahill marshalled the defence well, but is clearly more used to Phil Jagielka of Everton alongside him.
Chris Smalling – 5/10
It may seem harsh to give Chris Smalling 5/10 when the Manchester United centre back helped England to a clean sheet, but the 24 year-old still plays like a bit of a rookie at times, and got caught out a few times against a Danish attack that was hardly the most threatening on the planet.
Glen Johnson – 5/10
A polar performance. Glen Johnson got forward well, but either had a brilliant first touch and terrible cross, or terrible first touch and brilliant cross. Both results had forward players giving up on the prospect of a decent ball before it arrived.
Ashley Cole – 6/10
Ashley Cole rarely gives less than a 7/10 performance. Just ask Cheryl.
Tonight, the Chelsea veteran appeared slightly rusty after rarely having played this season, but hardly harmed his cause against a rather stale Denmark attack.
Steven Gerrard – 7/10
Liverpool and England captain Steven Gerrard played somewhat of a conservative match in the anchor role against Denmark, but his passes to the flanks and excellent tackling showed the maturity of his play.
Jordan Henderson – 6/10
Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson has been a brilliantly dynamic player for the Reds this season, offering running and massively improved technique alongside club colleague Steven Gerrard.
Roy Hodgson reunited the pair in defensive midfield against Denmark, and though Henderson made some enterprising forward runs, his lack of game-time with the majority of his colleagues going forward meant he was rarely found in good positions.
Raheem Sterling – 8/10
A poor first touch suggested that Raheem Sterling was set to play out a nervous game for his second cap, but the Liverpool winger quickly grew into the game, and upon gaining his confidence the 19 year-old started taking on his man with increasing success. One of the few bright sparks for England.
Voted Andy Townsend’s man of the match, if that means anything to anyone in the world.
Jack Wilshere – 6/10
Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere had a couple of moments when he received the ball on the half turn and began some attacking moves, but the he was one of the players England were depending on to increase the tempo.
He was certainly culpable in contributing to the slowness of the game, keeping it far too safe on occasion.
That may be intelligent play due to the patience required in international football, but given the talent of the 22 year-old Gunners star, we can’t help but expect more.
Wayne Rooney – 5/10
Here’s a controversial hypothesis: maybe Wayne Rooney is the biggest problem with the England team.
Everyone seems so certain Rooney is the best player that he is deployed in the centre forward role and his team-mates attempt to play through him all the time.
If the Manchester United attacker is not on top of his game though, suddenly his first touch is a clearance and he plays in blinkers, spreading the ball wide to full backs and wingers.
We can only remember one moment he stepped up with some fine play, suddenly accelerating the tempo at the end of the first half to play in Ashley Cole, who crossed for Raheem Sterling to hit the post.
Other than that, he failed to offer Daniel Sturridge the movement Luis Suarez does – visibly frustrating the Liverpool star – and perhaps being shifted back to the attacking midfield position could prove a worthwhile experiment.
Daniel Sturridge – 7/10
Daniel Sturridge appeared bemused at the ponderous nature of England’s play against Denmark, with no movement or pace matching that he receives at Liverpool – even though four of his Anfield team-mates in Glen Johnson, Jordan Henderson, Steven Gerrard and Raheem Sterling were involved in the game.
Perhaps Roy Hodgson just brings everyone down.
Still, once Sturridge gave himself a free role instead of being shackled to the right, the 24 year-old started to become more of a threat, and scored the winning goal with a fine header.
Substitutes:
Luke Shaw – 7/10
Southampton left back Luke Shaw is only 18, but played like he was a seasoned veteran, taking to the pitch confidently and making the flank his own.
His strength, tackling and solid passing gave him good foundation to break forward when opportunities broke.
Adam Lallana – 8/10
After an hour of England playing out a televised sedative of a game, Roy Hodgson introduced Adam Lallana from the bench, and the Southampton skipper immediately provided the drive and inspiration the game needed.
Like a slightly worse version of Arsenal playmaker Santi Cazorla, Lallana is immensely two footed, and the Saints star regularly threw his marker off kilter with feints and turns, eventually setting up the only goal of the game.
Has to be on the plane to Brazil.
Danny Welbeck – 6/10
If Danny Welbeck could finish, he could be one of the best forwards in the Premier League.
The Manchester United forward has great movement, and his instincts ensure he is almost always in the right place, but the two chances he had he missed.
A fair summation of his career to date – even if he has been surprisingly prolific at international level.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 6/10
Arsenal star Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain provides drive and skill both on the flank and in midfield, and was unfortunate not to have further chance to impress given recent performances for his club.
Andros Townsend – 5/10
We barely noticed Tottenham Hotspur winger Andros Townsend, but he probably ran down the right and cut inside onto his left then blasted the ball out the stadium.
James Milner – 6/10
As we said on Twitter, who better to bring on to see out a game than Mr. Reliable.
The Manchester City midfielder didn’t do anything spectacular, but didn’t put a foot wrong either.