England struggle to spark in underwhelming victory over Andorra

England moved closer to World Cup qualification with a 2-0 victory over Andorra at Villa Park.

An own goal from defender Christian Garcia and Declan Rice’s second-half header ensured Thomas Tuchel’s side strengthened their position at the top of Group K.

Not many people will remember this match when the World Cup comes around next summer and it was all about getting the job done.

Andorra might be ranked 174th in the world, and some of their players were seen filming their opponents when they came out for their pre-match walk, but that did not mean they were a walkover.

And even the fourth worst team in Europe are difficult to break down when they put 11 men behind the ball.

England, who had similar problems when they limped to a 1-0 win in June’s reverse fixture, lacked an attacking spark to thrill the fans, but got the win.

Villa Park not exactly ‘Paradise’

Villa Park was hosting an England international for the first time since Sven-Goran Eriksson’s side drew 0-0 with the Netherlands in 2005.

But, with Wembley in use for a Coldplay concert on Sunday, Aston Villa’s home was not exactly ‘Paradise’ for Thomas Tuchel’s side as they put in a flat performance.

The loudest cheers were reserved for Villa pair Morgan Rogers and Ezri Konsa coming on as substitutes in the second half.

This is likely to be the last England match on the road for at least a year as the national team return to Wembley.

Anderson shines on debut

Elliot Anderson was handed his senior debut following an impressive 12 months which culminated in helping the under-21s win the European Championships this summer.

And the 22-year-old Nottingham Forest midfielder passed his audition on the main stage with an impressive showing, albeit against weak opposition.

He was comfortable on the ball, strong in the tackle and was only denied a debut goal by a fine save from Iker Alvarez.

More testing experiences will be ahead, but the Forest man showed he could be the answer to England’s number six problem.

Attacking trio fail to shine

With Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham and Cole Palmer not involved in this camp, it was a big chance for Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze and Marcus Rashford to state their case.

But, in the main, they failed to really impress. Eze, in his first international appearance as an Arsenal player, wasted three good chances to score, while Rashford only showed glimpses during a flat display.

Madueke was the best of the trio, setting up the opening goal, and gained some credit, but the injured trio will not be too worried.