Estonia vs. England: Score, Grades and Reaction from Euro 2016 Qualifier

A Wayne Rooney free-kick spared England's blushes as the Three Lions edged past Estonia 1-0 on Sunday evening in a Euro 2016 Group E qualifier at Le Coq Arena in Tallinn.

Frustrated for much of the night by their hosts, England finally took the lead in the 74th minute as Rooney curled in a fine set piece from the edge of Estonia's box.

Rooney's goal was his 43rd in England colours, six behind all-time leader Sir Bobby Charlton. But while fans will be pleased with the result, the quality of the Three Lions' performance was hardly impressive.

Despite dominating possession throughout the 90 minutes, England struggled mightily in the final third all night. Even while playing against 10 men for the final 40-plus minutes, the Three Lions often lacked the incisiveness needed to break down Estonia's determined resistance.

All the same, victory in Tallinn means England's 100 per cent record in qualifying remains intact. Roy Hodgson's side now lead Group E with nine points from three matches, having scored eight goals without conceding.

With the top two teams guaranteed of a spot at the Euro 2016 finals, qualification seems almost certain even at this early stage.

Up next, England host Slovenia on Nov. 15 in their final qualifying match of 2014.

Hodgson made three changes for England, with Adam Lallana replacing Raheem Sterling at the top of the midfield diamond. But it was the home side that generated the game's opening chance in the first minute.

The danger came down England's right flank as Estonia moved forward with a swift counter. Finding space in the box after cutting inside Gary Cahill, Sergei Zenjov hit a deflected shot just wide of Joe Hart's near post.

It was an early letoff for England, who went on to dominate possession throughout the rest of the first half without finding the net. In the 15th minute, Jack Wilshere set up Rooney with a lofted pass over the Estonia defence, but Rooney volleyed over the bar.

England came close again 10 minutes later as Adam Lallana hit a deflected shot narrowly wide. In the 36th minute, Wilshere drilled a low effort past the near post after winning possession in midfield.

Rooney had another good opportunity in the 39th minute, heading off target from a Fabian Delph cross. One minute before half-time, Jordan Henderson saw his long-range shot saved easily.

The match turned early in the second half when Estonia went down to 10 men. Captain Ragnar Klavan, who had already been booked in the first half, received his second yellow card in the 48th minute for cynically pulling back Delph as the England man cut through the midfield.

The dismissal meant England would have a numerical advantage for the game's final 40 minutes. But although the Three Lions were able to maintain their territorial dominance against 10 men, they continued to struggle in the final third.

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

In seek of a spark, Hodgson introduced Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the 61st minute and Raheem Sterling three minutes later. The former had a chance to break the deadlock in the 69th minute, when Calum Chambers crossed dangerously into the middle of the box. But Oxlade-Chamberlain was unable to turn his header on target, instead flicking the ball across the six-yard box.

England's search for the opening goal was beginning to feel more and more desperate, but in the 73rd minute, Rooney produced the requisite bit of magic to put his side ahead. After Sterling won a foul along the edge of Estonia's box on the left side, Rooney stepped up and curled in his free-kick at the near post for the opening goal.

The relief was palpable for England, who slowed the pace from there, apparently content to hold onto their one-goal lead.

Two more chances came for Rooney and England in the closing moments. In the 89th minute, Rooney was unable to turn an excellent Oxlade-Chamberlain cross on target, and in stoppage time, Estonia goalkeeper Sergei Pareiko saved one-on-one after the England captain found space on the left.

Grades

Starting XI	Rating
Substitutes	Rating
Joe Hart	6.5
Calum Chambers	7.8
Gary Cahill	6.9
Phil Jagielka	7.6
Leighton Baines	7.0
Jordan Henderson	6.7
Jack Wilshere	8.6
Fabian Delph	6.9
Adam Lallana	7.3
Wayne Rooney	7.3
Danny Welbeck	6.7
Alex Oxlade Chamberlain (for Delph 61')	7.4
Raheem Sterling (for Henderson, 64')	7.2
Rickie Lambert (for Welbeck, 80')	6.1

Post-Match Reaction

England manager Roy Hodgson (via Sky Sports):

"

I thought we played some really good football in the first half. I thought the movement was good and there were some very good runs. The chances and half-chances were piling up and when you don't take them, you know it could be a frustrating evening.

In the second half, there was an element of that. When we scored, we stopped doing a few of the things we'd been doing.

We knew it wouldn't be easy to win here. We know people will look at the size of the country and say that England should beat them but you've got to play your football.

There were some very good moments out there—especially in the early part of the game. Strangely that was the part of the game where we couldn't score.

"