England’s No 9 cloud lifts as night of experiments yields promising results | Jonathan Liew

Dominic Calvert-Lewin emerged as an alternative to – or foil for – Harry Kane in England’s 3-0 friendly victory over Wales

Yes, it was only a throwaway friendly at an empty Wembley Stadium between a second-string England and a limited Wales, but … well, maybe there is no “but”. Maybe that’s the end of the sentence. Not every football game has to mean something. Not every event has to be a learning opportunity. And as England scratched their way to a convincing if inoffensive win, the temptation was to wonder whether this lukewarm encounter had changed anything at all. Whether the fabric of the universe had been wrinkled one iota.

Still, if there’s anything more tiresome than an England friendly it’s people moaning about how tiresome England friendlies are, presumably while setting aside their entire evening to watch them. And even if you accept the essentially ephemeral, cobbled-together, Conor-Coady-as-captain feel to this contest, there was still plenty here to catch the eye. Jack Grealish was a swirling, silvery delight. Danny Ings’s overhead kick was fitting reward for a bustling night’s work. And Coady’s first England goal – capped by a celebration of pure, unbridled disbelief – was a genuinely touching moment.

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