England beat Malta 4-0 in their 2018 World Cup qualifier on Friday night, with Jordan Henderson skippering the Three Lions to victory.
The tedium of the international break this weekend was always going to be frustrating, but we have at least got the chance to see a few Reds in action.
England travelled to Attard to take on their lowly opponents, with three more points guaranteed to edge them closer to World Cup qualification.
It was a proud night for Henderson, who was named captain by Gareth Southgate, and he now looks to be in a straight fight with Harry Kane to be the permanent skipper, following Wayne Rooney’s international retirement.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was also handed a start, with Daniel Sturridge on the substitutes’ bench, giving Liverpool supporters a chance to see their newest signing in action.
The 24-year-old was used on the right-hand side in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Henderson anchoring the midfield alongside West Brom‘s Jake Livermore.
It wasn’t exactly an eye-catching night for anyone in an England shirt, although the Liverpool pair did link up nicely on one occasion.
Oxlade-Chamberlain then produced a lovely flick during a flowing move involving Kane, and hit the target from a tight angle, but it was an otherwise ineffective night.
Kane opened the scoring in the 53rd minute, having been found by Tottenham team-mate Dele Alli, and Southampton‘s Ryan Bertrand doubled the lead from distance.
In a rampant finale, Danny Welbeck added a third and Kane got his second of the night, as the visitors cruised to victory in the end.
As always, it wasn’t an England match that will live remotely long in the memory, but it was nice to see the Liverpool contingent come through unscathed.
Next up for Southgate’s men is a qualifier against Slovakia at Wembley Stadium on Monday night.
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