After a summer of success came a new dawn of hope, but a 2-1 defeat against Spain in the Uefa Nations League brought England back down to Earth as familiar problems in Russia arose at Wembley.
It took Marcus Rashford just 10 minutes to continue England's feel-good football and he completed a flowing move to open the scoring in some style.
England deserved their lead and were playing some eye-catching stuff, the kind which took them to the semi-final of the World Cup. But the Three Lions were only able to hold onto their lead for two minutes before Saul Niguez capped off a fine counter attack with a finish from the edge of the box, and Rodrigo gave Spain the lead shortly after.
The night took a further turn for the worse when Luke Shaw was given oxygen and stretchered off early in the second half following a nasty collision with Dani Carvajal.
England thought they had sealed the three points when Danny Welbeck fired into an empty net, but the referee saw a foul in the build-up and ruled out the strike.
Here are five things we learned from Wembley
1. New boys give Southgate something to ponder
It took 10 minutes for two of the players brought in by Southgate to link up and score the opening goal. Rashford and Luke Shaw, two of three changes to England’s preferred line-up at the World Cup, stated their claim for a permanent place in the team.
After a vital piece of last-ditch defending, Shaw collected Harry Kane’s switching pass and stepped on the gas. He drove forward and curled a low pass towards Rashford, which took the defenders out of the equation, and the United forward completed the quick attack with a simple finish beyond David De Gea.
Shaw’s ability to carry his impressive domestic form into this match will please Southgate, who is looking to strengthen on the left side. Danny Rose’s is inconsistent at best, and Ashley Young’s England career seems to be in doubt.
Rashford had the chance to prove his worth in Raheem Sterling’s absence, and did just that. He was positive and decisive with his running, and grabbed a goal to cap off an impressive show. United manager Jose Mourinho was in the stands and is likely to be pleased with what he saw, although he might find fault in De Gea, somehow.
2. England’s one-man midfield exposed
It can only be a matter of time before Southgate tinkers with his system and brings in reinforcements for Jordan Henderson in midfield. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Harry Winks are continuing their comebacks from injury while Will Hughes is doing all the right things at Watford.
England’s one-man midfield works so well in possession. The attacking fullbacks and two number tens allows England to completely bypass their limp midfield. However, when Croatia, Colombia, Belgium and now Spain got the ball, there were big problems.
These issues are still unsolved. The moment Spain beat the initial press they were favourites to work a chance on goal. 120 seconds after Rashford scored, Spain beat the first press and they were able to exploit the space and instantly equalise. Shaw dived into a challenge to take him out of the equation, which allowed Rodrigo in behind. The winger got to the by line and pulled a pass back to Saul, who had time to score because of the lack of screening midfielders on the edge of the box.
3. England brought back down to earth
After a positive summer, Southgate and this England side are presented with their toughest test yet: to not become victims of success. So many England teams and international sides have fallen into this complacent trap, and Southgate's Three Lions must not join them.
Things weren’t perfect in Russia, and Southgate admits that, however there was little change at Wembley. Joe Gomez coming in was a positive move to ward off any complacency among the defenders and Rashford provided a bright spark, but you feel harder rides are still to come.
England produced their game plan with a good degree of execution, but they were playing with fire and when it came to the decisive moments in the game, Spain were just better. Better individually, better as a team and playing in a superior system.
The same patterns that were on display in Russia came to fruition once again at Wembley. England dominated the opening spells of the game, played some nice football and looked like the better side. But as the match wore on and the play got stretched, there were shortcomings. The counter attacks had no real purpose or direction, decision making was sub-par and the result was a defeat against a top side. Sound familiar?
4. Kane remains unfit
Brace yourself for a hot-take: Harry Kane remains short of match fitness.
The latter games of the World Cup and the start of the season has been a real chore for Kane, who is in desperate need of a break. A couple of chances came and went in the first half, the sort which a sharper Harry Kane might have buried, but there were problems in his own penalty area too.
Rodrigo’s run to the front post went unnoticed by the England defence as he fired past Jordan Pickford and replays revealed Kane as the guilty culprit for letting him go. Perhaps it’s harsh to single him out as it was zonal marking which failed to keep Spain at bay, however, you imagine a sharper Kane would do something to halt his run, whether it is a slight nudge of a movement to block his path.
5. New Spain, old dominance
For whatever reason things did not work out for Spain at the World Cup, but that all seems to be history for Luis Enrique and his new set-up.
Seeing Spain line up without David Silva, Andreas Inista or Gerard Pique was a little like Arsenal without Arsene Wenger, or what England’s Test cricket side might look like without Alastair Cook. It just doesn’t seem right.
Marcos Alonso made his first ever start for Spain and the attacking areas were filled with bright, young talent. Spain’s ability to keep the ball and manipulate their opposition under Enrique was no surprise, and if this is the start, Spain could return to being a real force in world football.
