England 3-1 Slovenia match report: Wayne Rooney penalty and Danny Welbeck brace keeps Euro 2016 qualification on track
The 100 club: Wayne Rooney is awarded his 100th cap by Sir Bobby Charlton
Skipper Rooney scored from the sport on his 100th England appearance to equal Jimmy Greaves' goal record of 44
He may never receive a golden 100th cap from Sir Bobby Charlton or threaten the all-time England goals record of Old Trafford's great knight.
But Danny Welbeck, whose departure from Manchester United was mourned by Sir Bobby himself, is sure as hell firing England towards the Euro 2016 finals.
While captain Rooney was lauded before kick-off for bringing up his century of international appearances, it was a second-half double from Welbeck which ensured Roy Hodgson's men kept up their 100 per cent record
That's five goals from four games in this low-key campaign and a very decent 13 on 31 caps in all.
No wonder so many in and around United regretted the Mancunian striker's exit to Arsenal.
Rooney had more than played his part, lifting England off the floor by winning and converting an equalising penalty after a Jordan Henderson own goal had threatened to turn his party into a wake.
But while Welbeck was far from his best, he has discovered a happy knack of finding the net when he has three lions printed over his left breast – one of those rare players who seems to lift his game for internationals.
During some frustrating years at United, he always claimed he would score regularly if allowed to play as a central striker and he is proving his point for his country, more so than at his new club.
England were dismal in the first half but vastly improved in the second on a Wembley pitch mangled by money-spinning American football matches.
What used to be known as the hallowed turf had been pimped out to the NFL – leaving a faded Jacksonville Jaguars logo in the centre circle and a playing surface with nothing like the billiard-table smoothness these Premier League players are used to.
And if the pitch was shabby order, then so was much of the first-half football.
Slovenia, who defeated top-seeded Switzerland last month, are no mugs but for almost an hour this was a case of England threatening to trip up themselves.
In the first half, Hodgson's men lacked energy and imagination, with their finishing woeful - only debutant right-back Nathaniel Clyne and the deep-lying Jack Wilshere showing any polish.
After parading his two young sons on to the pitch and receiving his commemorative cap from Charlton, Rooney was soon released by a cunning Wilshere pass but was betrayed by a poor first touch.
Clyne powered down the flank and cut back for Rooney who teed up Raheem Sterling to shoot meekly wide.
Then another visionary Wilshere pass, a chest down from Danny Welbeck and Rooney blazed horribly over.
Slovenia began to attack with menace and Milivoje Novakovic was wide with a near-post free header from a corner.
Then it was Welbeck with the couldn't-hit-a-barndoor routine – way off target with a header and then a 20-yard shot.
Indeed, the closest England came to a first-half goal came when a short-range back-pass from Slovenia's Jasmin Kurtic hit a divot and forced keeper Samir Handanovic into a sliding effort to kick out for a corner.
England began the second half like a team with an ears full of fleas and rockets up their jacksies.
Rooney went on one of his raging-bull runs down the right to win a corner but then headed wide from Lallana's centre.
But on 56 minutes, the dozy Lallana gave away a needless free-kick, Andraz Kirm swu ng it over from the left and Henderson proved that England could finish clinically with a glancing header into his own net.
As if a gatecrasher had slipped into his party and vomited on his Axminister, Rooney took this as a personal slight, bobbed and weaved his way into the Slovenia area where he was tripped, with minimal contact, by Ales Mertelj.
A thumping spot-kick meant England were level within two minutes of falling behind and that Rooney was level, on 44 England goals, with the great Jimmy Greaves - who will gladly tell you he played on pitches plenty worse than this.
And England were ahead on 65 minutes thanks to a comedy of errors, a deflected Lallana cross, a botched attempt at a clearing header and Welbeck miss-hitting his shot into the turf only for it to spin up and bamboozle Handanovic.
If England's second was ropey, their third was sublime – an excellent give-and-go between Welbeck and Sterling, which ended with the Arsenal man rifling home.
England were always likely to coast their way through this group and with Welbeck in the goals, it is a dead cert.
- England: Hart, Clyne, Gibbs, Henderson, Cahill, Jagielka (Smalling), Wilshere, Lallana, Welbeck, Rooney, Sterling (Oxlade-Chamberlain)
- Slovenia: Handanovic; Brecko, Cesar, Ilic, Struna; Kirm, Birsa, Kampl, Kurtic; Mertelj, Novakovic.
The Group E table after four matches
| England | 12 |
| Slovenia | 6 |
| Lithuania | 6 |
| Estonia | 4 |
| Switzerland | 3 |
| San Marino | 1 |
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