England 1-0 Australia: Ollie Watkins seals victory despite Gareth Southgate’s much-changed hosts struggling to break down the Socceroos

The FA did not light the Wembley arch and Gareth Southgate’s England players did not light up the pitch. This was a night of football that many would soon forget.

One of those will be Jordan Henderson, rocked on and off the pitch as captain by a section of England fans who can’t see past his recent decision to leave the Premier League for Saudi Arabia.

This is football in 2023, sometimes. Political, complicated, sensitive and, in this case, completely unworkable.

We don’t often say that about Southgate’s England. They don’t let us down often. Here, however, a second-string team played abysmally during a first half that should have seen them fall behind. Only poor Australian finishing spared them.

After that they were better. Jack Grealish pipped old Aston Villa team-mate Ollie Watkins for the easiest of international goals just before the hour mark and as Southgate made change after change – six between the goal and the 73rd minute – England improved to dominate territory in a way that had proved beyond them in the first half.

It wasn’t easy, but England maintained their record at Wembley with a 1-0 win over Australia in Friday’s friendly courtesy of a solo goal from Ollie Watkins.

Watkins struck in the second half after sliding in at the back post to tap home Jack Grealish’s initial effort

However, Australia should have given their football an equalizer more than they deserved only for Connor Metcalfe – a midfielder from Germany’s second tier – to head against the post from a corner when he looked set to score a famous goal with 10 minutes left.

For the first 45 minutes, England were too slow, too disjointed and frankly too poor to leave anything but the wrong impression on this wet London night.

Their opponents were game and ambitious and excellent on the counter-attack. If their finish matched all of that then they would have been several goals ahead. When you have a record and a ranking like England’s, friendlies can feel like traps. Little to gain and much to lose.

They created the first opening in the eighth minute as Jarrod Bowen slipped a ball towards Conor Gallagher on the right. The Chelsea man’s low cross from goal could have been turned in by at least two teammates, but both appeared to go just over the ball.

At the time, it was a warning to Australia, but it was false. James Maddison played Watkins through the middle with a lovely pass in the 29th minute and the Aston Villa man rounded goalkeeper Mat Ryan and fired home at the far post.

Apart from that, there was nothing from England. Australia, on the other hand, threatened regularly against an England back four that looked too uncomfortable too often.

With Trent Alexander-Arnold coming into midfield from right-back whenever possible, England created some overloads. However, at times, the Liverpool man left what looked like a huge hole behind him.

Australia had four clean sheets in the half. The first came when Keanu Baccus’ cross from the left was deflected into his goal by Fikayo Tomori in the 12th minute. Sam Johnstone saved well at full stretch in the England goal.

Jordan Henderson (left) captained England in the absence of Harry Kane, who was rested

Gareth Southgate rested most of his big-name stars in the friendly

Johnstone, meanwhile, were quite helpless soon after as Mitchell Duke wrapped his right foot around a near post cross and volleyed inches from 12 yards. That would be a great goal.

Uncertain defending from a corner almost undid England not long after. After the ball was recycled, a cross to the near post could have been headed in and then, as the ball fell, Kye Rowles lifted it from eight yards when he should have done better.

Ryan Strain came close right in the first half. He was cleverly played in by Martin Boyle and although his low shot beat Johnstone, Lewis Dunk had made ground to clear it off the line.

England just had to be better in the second half and they were. Almost immediately they played with more urgency and directness. Such has been the change in Grealish under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City that his first instinct no longer seems to be to run past a defender. Here, for a while, that changed.

Sam Johnstone was forced to make some impressive saves to deny Australia

Similarly, at the other end, Bowen passed low and dangerously, causing panic in the Australian defense in a way that he had not needed until now.

Then, just before the hour mark as Southgate was warming up his substitutes, England scored. A free-kick was cleared, but when Alexander-Arnold sent the loose ball at the far post, Australia were thrown into disarray.

The ball should never have actually reached Grealish on the far side, but when it did he controlled and moved it expertly and this allowed him to drive it low on goal for a corner. His shot may have gone anyway, but Watkins couldn’t be sure, sliding to push it over the line by inches.

James Maddison (left) struggled to be England’s main creator in a difficult first half

Grealish and Watkins combined to score the only goal of the evening in England’s win

It was a lead England did not deserve at that stage. But for the period that followed, and undoubtedly helped by a host of substitutes, they were the best team for the first time in the game.

This was not an impression that lasted long as England slowly pulled away to finish the game as it had begun, namely in a disorganized state.

Dunk was now partnered by John Stones in the center with Kieran Trippier at right-back. Still there was no one at home as Metcalfe hit the post late on.

It wasn’t the only scare either, as England held on for this most unconvincing win. This will be a week the FA will be happy to get out of the way.