Rating (Not Slating) England's Players v Spain

It might not have been pretty but it was certainly effective. We would have put good money on Scott Parker being man of the match, but Joleon Lescott? Who knew?

JOE HART: We never thought we'd be typing this but he wasn't called upon to make a 'proper save' until the 89th minute. And we were playing Spain. This is mental. Almost as mental as the fact that he is still unbeaten in an (awful) England shirt. Keep him safe. 

GLEN JOHNSON: Usually in these ratings we copy and paste 'dangerous going forward, dangerous going backwards' but Johnson didn't get forward often enough to find himself chasing backwards. Barring the poor header that allowed David Villa to hit his woodwork-bound shot, Johnson was pretty much faultless. We asked the question this week whether he was still England's first-choice right-back. It seems so. 

PHIL JAGIELKA: A less eye-catching performance than that of partner Joleon Lescott but Jagielka was still impressive - showing exemplary concentration to make vital blocks and tackles for the entirety of the 90-odd minutes. 

JOLEON LESCOTT: Who knew? Quite simply phenomenal from first to last. A reader suggested this week that Lescott without Vincent Kompany was like Phil Babb without Paul McGrath, but he defied all low expectations with a masterclass in backs-to-the-wall defending. Being dropped by Fabio Capello from his Montenegro squad clearly had the desired arse-kicking effect. 

ASHLEY COLE: Some players simply play better against world-class players. Cole's attention spell against poorer opposition leaves a lot to be desired (see errors v Montenegro last month) but against Spain - from the 70-second mark when he was the first England player to disposess the enemy - he was a study in concentration. Excellent. 

SCOTT PARKER: If you were going to have a wager on England's Man of the Match before the game, you would have plumped for Parker. This was always going to be a game designed to showcase the talents of a holding midfielder and Parker flourished in the spotlight. 'Concentration' was the Wembley buzzword and he had it in spades. The tabloids will scream about Parker's 'passion' but he's quite simply a class act in that position. 

PHIL JONES: The experiment failed. Playing the kind of role in which he looked lost against Liverpool - often the most advanced of the midfield three - we saw that 'decent distribution for a defender' is simply not enough when transferred to midfield. Found himself in more space than any other England player several times during the first half and too often played the wrong ball. Or the right ball not quite well enough. Can we all just agree that he's a defender? 

THEO WALCOTT: Seemed the obvious man for an 'out ball' but only once got the chance to really run at the Spanish defence. Did his defensive job well enough and probably remains Capello's first-choice wide player. 

FRANK LAMPARD: A decent shift - putting in some timely tackles and playing the odd vaguely incisive ball before getting the only goal of the game thanks to his striking instincts. Whether he will be in the team with everyone fit is questionable, but he certainly underlined his value as a squad player. 

JAMES MILNER: He makes a decent left-back. And the free-kick for Lampard's goal wasn't bad either. 

DARREN BENT: His first touch was a headed clearance in the 13th minute and he really didn't have many more. He might take heart from the header that made England's goal but the truth is that he never looked remotely threatening from open play. Danny Welbeck showed in his half-hour how the Spanish defence can be worried by movement but too often Bent was a spectator. Capello is clearly unconvinced and so are we. 

STEWART DOWNING (on 45 for Walcott): Frankly we didn't notice him but we'll assume he worked hard. 

JACK RODWELL (on 57 for Jones): Immediately looked comfortable in an England shirt and caused the Spanish midfield problems with his energy and clever use of the ball. We said this summer that this was a big season for him to move from 'potential' to 'delivery'. It will be interesting to see him from the start against Sweden. 

GARETH BARRY (on 57 for Lampard): A smooth transition. He has his knockers but he is much, much better than the player we saw in South Africa. 

DANNY WELBECK (on 64 for Bent): Held the ball up well, fizzed around a lot and caused the Spanish defence plenty of problems. Come on Fabio, give him a start v Sweden. 

ADAM JOHNSON (on 76 for Milner): Great run in the final minutes but probably doesn't work hard enough to move from sub to starter. 

KYLE WALKER (on 85 for Parker): Did he touch the ball?