England vs. Slovenia: Winners and Losers from Euro 2016 Qualifier
Danny Welbeck scored twice as England came from behind to beat Slovenia 3-1 on Saturday.
Jordan Henderson's own goal put the guests ahead early in the second half, but Wayne Rooney's successful penalty conversion just over a minute later sparked a fight back that pushed the Three Lions to an important victory in Euro 2016 qualifying.
Rooney, whose 44th international goal took him level with Jimmy Greaves, also made his 100th appearance for England and was presented with a gold cap ahead of kick-off.
Overall, a handful of players caught the eye at Wembley, while others turned in rather less impressive displays.
Following are the winners and losers from Saturday's qualifier.
Winner: Danny Welbeck, Who Bagged a Brace
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Like most of his teammates, Danny Welbeck didn't do much of anything in what was a tedious first half at Wembley. But after the restart, he imposed himself on the game and ended up with both the match-winner and insurance-marker.
The Arsenal striker's second strike was especially attractive as he initiated a neat one-two with Raheem Sterling before finishing past Slovenia goalkeeper Samir Handanovic from a tight angle.
At the final whistle, The Telegraph's Matt Law named Welbeck among his "star men" via Twitter.
Loser: Bostjan Cesar, Who Brought Down Rooney for the England Penalty
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Slovenia took a surprise lead in the 57th minute when Jordan Henderson accidentally headed a Valter Birsa free-kick into his own goal.
But just seconds later, England were level as Wayne Rooney converted from the spot.
It was Slovenia defender Bostjan Cesar who committed the foul on the centurion—something he also did in his first ever match against England. And it sullied what had been a tremendous performance from the 32-year-old up to that point.
Cesar spent much of the first half closing down space in front of goalkeeper Samir Handanovic and throwing himself in front of shots, as he did in the 20th minute following a promising exchange between Rooney and Adam Lallana.
But his penalty concession turned the momentum of the match, and Slovenia never recovered.
Winner: Raheem Sterling, Whose Energy Helped Turn the Tide
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Raheem Sterling began the second half on a mission, and at the final whistle, he had proved himself to be among England's most important players in the 3-1 victory.
Moving out wide after the restart, the 19-year-old played the final 45 minutes with his usual fearlessness and picked up an assist on Danny Welbeck's second goal in the 72nd minute.
After accepting the Arsenal striker's short pass, Sterling returned the ball to Welbeck with a single touch and watched as his international teammate finished cleanly past Slovenia goalkeeper Samir Handanovic to seal the three points for England.
Loser: Jordan Henderson, Who Was Abysmal
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Even before his own goal, Jordan Henderson was having a nightmare of a time at Wembley.
As pointed out by the statistical Twitter account @Football_Tweet, the Liverpool midfielder gave the ball away eight times in the first 14 minutes, and his sloppiness in possession continued until the final whistle.
Overall, he completed just 75 percent of his passes, according to WhoScored.com, and appeared to grow increasingly frustrated as the match progressed.
In the 57th minute, he accidentally put Slovenia ahead when he nodded Valter Birsa's free-kick past England goalkeeper Joe Hart.
Winner: Wayne Rooney, Who Won His 100th Cap
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England legend and World Cup winner Sir Bobby Charlton presented Wayne Rooney with a golden cap ahead of Saturday's Euro 2016 qualifier between England and Slovenia.
The Three Lions skipper then went on to put in a match-changing performance against a dogged opponent that took a surprise lead through Jordan Henderson's own goal.
Mere seconds after the Liverpool midfielder's mistake, Rooney drew a penalty in Slovenia's 18-yard box and stepped up to do the business himself.
He made no mistake from the spot, and in scoring his 44th international goal, he pulled level with the great Jimmy Greaves for third all-time among England goalscorers.
Loser: The Pitch, Which Was in Poor Shape Following an NFL Game
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The Wembley pitch was the subject of considerable criticism Saturday, as the traces of last week's National Football League game could still be spotted on the surface.
The Daily Mirror's John Cross noted via Twitter that the pitch had looked poor when he examined it on Friday, and BBC Radio 5 live's Twitter account revealed that football pundit Chris Waddle had referred to the surface as "rubbish."
Perhaps a reason for the generally poor first half from both sides?
