Kieran Tierney, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Raheem Sterling impress, and Gordon Strachan does enough to warrant more time despite a shattering finale
The England support drew unfavourable comparisons between their oldest rival in international football and San Marino, suggesting, impolitely, that Scotland were inferior to Europe’s whipping boys. Below the belt, but given their team’s problems against a committed but limited side it was not an occasion when England were in a position to revel in supremacy despite extending their unbeaten qualifying record to 35 games courtesy of Harry Kane’s injury‑time equaliser. The visitors were passive in the face of a ferocious Scotland start and, despite improving to take a degree of control, another illustration of Joe Hart’s weakness on his left-hand side, when failing to get close to Leigh Griffiths’ first free-kick, and a subdued display in the final third showed the strides England still need to make. It needed the introduction of Alex Oxlade‑Chamberlain and Raheem Sterling to finally stretch a shattered home side.
Related: Scotland 2-2 England: World Cup 2018 qualifier – as it happened
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