Patience, they had all chorused. From Gareth Southgate to Jordan Henderson to Harry Kane. They were talking about the realisation of a long-term plan, of course, but the same virtue had been required in both qualifiers over this window. It has taken England time to find their feet in each fixture, exploiting Maltese fatigue last Friday and, eventually, striking up a proper rhythm against Slovakia once the initial approach had been tweaked. Marcus Rashford was instrumental in inspiring this win, looking every bit a player at home at this level, though there was some positivity to be gained from an English team reacting to early discomfort and, eventually, imposing themselves on a contest. A 13th consecutive competitive success at Wembley has eased a few nerves.
Related: Marcus Rashford bounces back against Slovakia and England grab the win
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