Rodrigo consigns England to defeat by Spain in first post-World Cup match

If nothing else, England’s footballers were spared the kind of treatment they might have anticipated in more mutinous times. In the warm afterglow of the summer’s World Cup, this was no time for recriminations and it was a sympathetic reaction at the final whistle. No matter that England had just lost their first competitive match at Wembley since the now-infamous defeat to Croatia in November 2007, or that this is the first time they have been beaten in three successive matches since Euro ’88.

At the same time, the feelgood factor might quickly dissipate if Gareth Southgate’s team continue to find the European Nations League so problematic. Once again, we were reminded of their difficulties when it comes to facing the elite nations. It was hardly the kind of homecoming that Southgate would have wanted and the fact England held the lead early on, courtesy of Marcus Rashford’s fourth international goal, will merely increase his frustrations.

Not that Southgate, with so much goodwill stored up, should expect too much criticism, particularly when it could conceivably have been a more productive night but for a disallowed goal seven minutes into stoppage time, and David de Gea demonstrating why Spain have retained their trust in him after his accident-prone World Cup. Nonetheless, Southgate has set high standards for his team and a nasty-looking injury for Luke Shaw early in the second half compounded a disappointing night for the home nation.

Fifty-nine days since England were playing in a World Cup semi-final, nobody should have been surprised by the shift in mood. It was difficult to remember the last time the national anthem reverberated through Wembley with such volume and, though there were sporadic outbreaks of booing, that was restricted to Sergio Ramos’s time on the ball: a legacy of his alleged villainy in last season’s Champions League final. Ramos will presumably be comforted by an impressive start to the Luis Enrique era for Spain.

Spain’s reaction to going a goal down after 11 minutes was certainly impressive and, just because the crowd decided it wouldn’t be appropriate to groan too loudly, it should not lessen Southgate’s concerns about the problem in his team’s defence. England had plenty of players inside their own penalty area for Saúl’s equaliser and, again, when Rodrigo turned in a free-kick to give Spain the lead. Not enough of Southgate’s players anticipated the danger and, at this level, they cannot expect to get away with defending so obligingly.

They also came up against a group of players who had a new manager to impress and, as always with Spain, a side that seemed intent on ramming home the point they are the experts when it comes to the art of taking care of the ball. Enrique is said to want a change in style, with a quicker tempo and less keep-ball in non-dangerous areas of the pitch. On this evidence, the new methodology might suit these players.

That said, the outstanding move of the night was put together by the players in white shirts and, without exaggeration, it is difficult to think of the last time England orchestrated such a brilliantly penetrative exchange of passes, classy in its creation and clinical in its execution. It culminated with Luke Shaw’s brilliantly precise pass taking out two Spanish defenders for Rashford to score with a first-time finish.

But to appreciate this goal properly it would be necessary to go back to the fact it was Shaw’s defensive header that began the breakaway. Jesse Lingard’s clever flick on the right touchline opened up play. Jordan Henderson moved the ball to Harry Kane and Shaw was already on the run as the attack switched from right to left. The final pass was a beauty and the kind of moment that would have been unimaginable during those long periods at Manchester United when Shaw’s career was drifting. Rashford’s was a confident finish. High in the stands, the television cameras caught José Mourinho, their club manager, nodding appreciatively at what he had just seen.

Presumably, Mourinho will also have enjoyed the moment, later in the first half, when Lingard’s cross picked out Rashford again and David de Gea kept out his club colleague with the kind of reflex save that few goalkeepers would be capable of pulling off. By that stage, however, England were behind and looking startlingly vulnerable in defence.

As impressive as Shaw’s contribution was for the opening goal, it was also true that two minutes later he lost Dani Carvajal, Spain’s right-back, in the buildup to Saúl’s equaliser. Rodrigo took possession, darted towards the byline and Saúl drove in a low, bouncing cutback to beat Jordan Pickford from eight yards.

If anything, Southgate will be even more concerned about Spain’s second goal and the manner in which Rodrigo eluded his two nearest opponents to apply the decisive finish from Thiago’s free-kick delivery. Kane, who was presented with the World Cup Golden Boot before kick-off and wore appropriately coloured footwear, was the first to let him go.

John Stones did not react quickly enough and Southgate’s complaints might extend to the mistimed challenge with which Kieran Trippier gave away the free-kick in the first place. Time and again, Southgate has spoken to his players about the importance of not committing fouls in dangerous areas.

Shaw was carried off on a stretcher after taking an accidental whack from Carvajal, meaning nine minutes of stoppage time, but England’s night did not get any better. Rashford had already wasted a golden chance to equalise and when the substitute Danny Welbeck did put the ball in the net in the final exchanges it was ruled out, harshly, for an alleged foul on De Gea.

Nations League: latest results and fixtures