Every player rated as Spain beat England in Uefa Nations League opener

Spain registered a second ever win at Wembley as they condemned England to a 1-2 defeat in their UEFA Nations League meeting.

Luis Enrique, in charge of his first match, saw a much changed Spanish team come from a goal down to inflict the Three Lions with their first competitive home defeat this decade (November 2007 against Croatia).

Marcus Rashford initially put the hosts in front before Saúl and Rodrigo ensured all three points as well as seeing Spain leave the home of English football with a win for the first time since 1981.

Here’s how the players rated.

England

Jordan Pickford – 5– England’s undisputed number one. Hardly faced an avalanche of shorts but can be disappointed in how both of Spain’s first half efforts, particularly Rodrigo’s at the near post, got past him.

Joe Gomez – 6 – Came in for Kyle Walker, one of three changes from England’s semi-final lineup against Croatia at this summer’s World Cup, the Liverpool man though would have gone to Russia if not for injury and his passing from the back vindicated his return.

John Stones – 6 – England’s leader in defence he was powerless to prevent their conceded goals but nevertheless remained dependable aside from the odd loose passes.

Harry Maguire – 5 – A revelation in the summer Maguire was critically caught out from a Spanish set piece as his lapse in concentration, breaking England’s offside trap in the process, ultimately led to Spain going in front.

Kieran Trippier – 5 – There’s no doubting Trippier’s effectiveness going forward, but it was ill-disciple that caught him out and leading to England being punished, his rash foul on Marcos Alonso ended with Spain going in front after initially falling behind.

Jordan Henderson – 4 – A safe pair of hands the Sunderland-born footballer rarely broke forward from his position just in front of England’s backline.

Dele Alli – 5 – Had plenty of touches but in large was ineffective as he couldn’t link up with his Spurs partner in crime Kane.

Jesse Lingard – 5 – Another who went missing in the second half, after a respectable opening 45 minutes, which can be attributed to Spain taking over proceedings.

Luke Shaw – 6 – Shaw marked his first England appearance in over three years with a perfectly weighted pass for Rashford to put Southgate’s men in front. However an unfortunate head injury, following a collision with Dani Carvajal, early into the second half cut short his comeback.

Harry Kane – 5 – Not his best performance for England the London-born striker, who started like a house on fire, would become anonymous as the game went on not helped by a lack of service as he was left to feed on scraps.

Marcus Rashford – 7 – Starting in the absence of Raheem Sterling, the Mancunian grabbed his opportunity by putting the Three Lions in front early on, but often ended up isolated as the game went on.

Substitutes:

Danny Rose (on for Luke Shaw 53) – 5 – Picked up from where Shaw left off but couldn’t provide that x factor.

Eric Dier (on for Jordan Henderson 64) – 5 – Attempted to provide a more attacking impetus but couldn’t impose himself on Spain’s irresistible midfield.

Danny Welbeck (on for Marcus Rashford 90+3) – N/A – A late sub.

Spain

David de Gea – 7 – Retained his spot following a nervy World Cup and it looked to be another long evening when he conceded the first shot on his goal but the Manchester United shot-stopper regained his composure subsequently producing a stunning effort to deny clubmate Rashford.

Dani Carvajal – 6 – Arguably the best right-back in Europe the Real Madrid full-back was a constant outlet for Spain and he relished his duty to bomb up and down the right flank.

Nacho – 6 – Not much was asked of the Real Madrid centre-back, but when called upon he looked as ease.

Sergio Ramos – 8 – Booed by the England faithful every time he gained possession it nevertheless galvanized the Spanish captain who put in yet another assured display.

Marcos Alonso – 7 – The left-back berth can very much be his as manager Luis Enrique is seemingly freezing out his Barcelona counterpart Jordi Alba. If this was a test then Alonso passed with him being a constant threat.

Thiago – 8 – Grew into the match as it went on, seen by many as Xavi’s natural heir the Bayern Munich midfielder whipped in the deady free-kick that put Spain in front.

Sergio Busquets – 6 – A metronomic presence in the heart of the Spanish midfielder Busquets, a calming presence, played a significant role as Enrique’s men sought to establish midfield supremacy.

Saúl – 7 – The native of Elche is making a habit of scoring important goals from midfield and his equaliser, a minute after Rashford had put England in front, was his first for La Furia Roja.

Rodrigo – 7 – A right handful. The ex-Bolton marksman registered his third international goal was a constant presence and gave England’s centre-backs a lot to think about during the 90 minutes.

Iago Aspas – 5 – The less of Spain’s attacking trident he nevertheless provided a platform from which those around can feed off.

Isco – 6 – Here, there and everywhere. Isco, who senses it is his time, can be lauded for being adventurous even if everything he tried didn’t come off.

Substitutes:

Marco Asensio (on for Iago Aspas 68) – X – Understanbly couldn’t get himself into the game but again further evidence of Spain’s depth.

Sergi Roberto (on for Thiago 80) – N/A – A late sub.

Íñigo Martínez (on for Marcos Alonso 87) – N/A – A late sub.

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