Stones delivers salvation on careless night for England
This was one of those frustrating evenings when England looked far less than the sum of their parts and when Gareth Southgate leaves himself open to the accusation as to whether he really trusts flair players.
The main talking point, beyond the violence and disgraceful behaviour of Hungarian fans, was the early substitution of Jack Grealish. He had clearly been England’s best player, had propelled them back into the game with his bravery on the ball – and yet lasted just over an hour and looked as perplexed as everyone else, shaking his head as he slowly walked to the dugout. It appeared a curious decision, even if Southgate explained it was due to a change of system.
This draw did not really damage England’s chances of reaching next year’s World Cup finals – they have two more qualification ties to go in Group I, at home to Albania and away to San Marino, and four points are needed.
Second-placed Poland have to play Andorra away and Hungary at home and can be expected to win both.
But it was a disjointed performance and an underwhelming result that dented a little the hopes of what England will do when they get to Qatar. It had more than a hint of complacency. On this evidence, with them dropping points in a home qualifier for the first time since they drew 1-1 with Ukraine in 2012, they looked a notch below France, Spain, Belgium and Italy, who were the four semi-finalists in the Nations League which was also played in this international break.
Before kick-off, England honoured two of their greatest strikers, with a minute’s applause following the passing of Jimmy Greaves and Roger Hunt, but Harry Kane could not add to his total – a goal would have taken him just two behind Greaves’s tally of 44 – as his run of scoring in consecutives qualifiers, going back five years, ended at 15.
In truth Kane, like Raheem Sterling who was also substituted, looked alarmingly off-form and with neither of them firing and with Grealish off the pitch, then where is England’s threat? And this against opponents they brushed aside 4-0 in Budapest. All three forward players were withdrawn. In fairness, Tammy Abraham looked far sharper than Kane – which was not difficult – when he replaced him, but hobbled off injured before the end.
The England captain was worryingly leaden. Time and again Kane was caught in possession, slow to get the ball out from under his feet, and when he was finally given a sight of goal he slashed his shot wildly wide. It was his last act before being substituted and he can have no complaints.
That is one debate – who can effectively understudy Kane when he is off-form and just why is he struggling so badly this season? The other is whether Southgate can effectively get more of his creative players into the team as he attempted here. Grealish, Mason Mount, Sterling, Kane and Phil Foden, retained in midfield ahead of Jordan Henderson, all started, but it rarely worked. England looked vulnerable to the counter-attack. Against better opponents? Southgate will be concerned and may feel this, actually, was an endorsement of his usual reliance of a double pivot of Declan Rice, who did play, and Kalvin Phillips, who was injured.
England will point to the fact that they fell behind to a harshly awarded penalty – “silly”, Rice called it – but these things happen and they still had plenty of time to turn the result around and equalised 14 minutes after conceding.
Southgate may have noted it was Grealish who was easily beaten as a cross was delivered, which was nevertheless cut out by Luke Shaw. However, the ball flicked up into the air and as Shaw attempted to clear it on the edge of the area, he caught Loic Nego in the face as the midfielder darted in. The penalty was given.
Was it harsh? Was there really contact? Nego’s reaction bought it and Shaw was cautioned before Roland Sallai drove his spot-kick to Jordan Pickford’s left. In the Hungarian end where, earlier, fans had attacked the police as they tried to arrest one of them for racially abusing a steward, a green flare was set off with the smoke trailing across the pitch as they celebrated. That will be something else on the Hungarian charge sheet.
England were shocked. The shape was not quite working, but Grealish got on the ball and ran at the defence.
Free-kicks were won and Foden’s whipped inswinger was more accurate, with first Tyrone Mings flicking it on, then the ball deflecting off Rice’s back before John Stones guided his volley home at the far post. England were level.
On half-time, Kyle Walker lofted a high ball from right to left which Grealish cushioned wonderfully before surging past Nego, who did well to recover. It drew gasps. Soon after, Sterling met Shaw’s scooped cross with goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi beating out his header at his lefthand post before the forward scuffed the rebound wide. Surely England would press home their advantage in the second half ?
Stones threatened again when he met Foden’s corner, his header bouncing a yard wide, but that was as close as they got.
It then appeared Southgate was going to take Foden off but, instead, it was Grealish’s number seven that was shown. He looked surprised. Everyone was surprised.
Even so, there was still half an hour to go and Sterling should have won it after being released by Kane, but Gulacsi rushed out to smother his shot.
But after Kane’s miss that was it. Instead, England almost gifted Hungary a goal, with a loose pass from substitute Bukayo Saka intercepted, and that summed up a below-par, careless, even anxious night.