England 2 - 1 Slovakia: England come from behind to beat Slovakia and close on World Cup qualification

Posted Tuesday, September 05, 2017 by PA

Marcus Rashford's attitude was as impressive as his aptitude as the forward helped England come from behind and fire Gareth Southgate's men to the brink of World Cup qualification.

Friday's flattering 4-0 win in Malta may have frustrated but this crunch Group F clash was on course to end in disaster after the visitors, ready to usurp the Three Lions as leaders, went ahead inside three minutes.

Stanislav Lobotka stunned Wembley after brutally punishing an error by Rashford, but the 19-year-old rallied rather than wilted, setting up Eric Dier before stylishly wrapping up a 2-1 win to leave England on the cusp of next summer's tournament in Russia.

Southgate's men now boast a five-point cushion over second-place Slovakia after the comeback win that stirred most of the 67,823 in attendance, just days after an underwhelming display led some travelling fans to turn on their team in Malta.

It was not all straightforward on Monday, though, as Lobotka struck early for the confident visitors, who England struggled to open up due to a worrying lack of creativity and guile.

The performance in last year's ignominious Euro 2016 exit to Iceland came to mind, but the Three Lions eventually kicked into life and drew level as Dier impressively turned in Rashford's smart corner.

The Manchester United attacker could have stuttered having gifted Slovakia their goal, but he grew as the match wore on and fired home from outside the box to secure a crucial three points.

Things could have been so much different had Kyle Walker's clumsy challenge brought a red card late in the first half, but Southgate's men will not care a jot after tightening their grip on Group F.