07.09.2011
ASHLEY YOUNG must be loving life at the moment – which is probably more than can be said for Robert Earnshaw.
Young has hit the ground running at Manchester United after securing his dream summer move.
And back at Wembley last night, the winger was scoring for England again to seal victory over Wales.
The last time the Three Lions were here – against Switzerland in June – he was left out of the starting line-up, only to be brought on at half-time to score the equaliser in a 2-2 draw.
There was no way Fabio Capello was going to make that mistake again.
Young has been the best player in the Premier League this season, scoring twice in United’s 8-2 mauling of Arsenal 10 days ago.
And he is proving invaluable for England after scoring their 35th-minute winner last night.
It was enough to take England to the brink of qualification for Euro 2012, but only thanks to Earnshaw’s astonishing late miss.
The Cardiff striker had a golden chance to spoil Young’s night with a quarter-of-an-hour to go.
But when Darcy Blake’s nod down fell into his path six yards out, Earnshaw somehow missed a gaping goal.
And so the glory was Young’s. And it was an England goal made in the Midlands, as two Aston Villa old boys combined to open up Wales.
Stewart Downing followed Young out of Villa Park this summer as he forced his way to Liverpool.
The pair know each other’s game inside out – and it showed.
Downing got the better of Celtic’s Joe Ledley on the right wing and then pulled his cross perfectly back for Young.
The United man had found some space in the Wales area and swivelled to sweep his shot past keeper Wayne Hennessey.
It was exactly what Capello was looking for, with England having failed to win any of their previous four home games, a run stretching back 12 months.
The England boss had been clear that, despite Friday’s triumph in Bulgaria, he was prepared to rip up a winning formula to deal with Wales.
And he was true to his word last night at a rain-sodden Wembley.
Gone was the holding midfield pairing of Gareth Barry and Scott Parker, as was the counter-attacking front four which had unpicked their opponents in Sofia.
Instead, Capello went for the 4-3-3 formation that had proved so successful when the Three Lions beat Wales 2-0 in Cardiff in March.
The biggest story was the reinstatement of Frank Lampard.
The midfielder had been dropped for the Bulgaria win, causing many critics to pen his international obituary.
But England and Chelsea skipper John Terry had warned that you write Lamps off at your peril, and he was right.
He might be 33. He might not be a cast-iron first choice.
But Lampard has experience, and Capello clearly trusts him.
And so the midfielder was drafted back into the team at the expense of Parker, who was already on one booking.
James Milner helped complete the middle three as Capello looked to use his attacking capability and defensive work ethic.
Theo Walcott had a tight hamstring, and so was left in the stands.
England might have been expected to trounce a Wales side lying 117th in the international rankings – below Haiti.
But manager Gary Speed has started to build something with his side and they produced a good win against
Montenegro last Friday.
It meant they came into the game with confidence, even without the suspended Craig Bellamy.
They created a couple of chances, with Ashley Williams heading wide from a free-kick.
Then Norwich striker Steve Morison beat Terry in a sprint for the ball, but volleyed over.
But the game was waiting for England to come alive.
Before the goal, Downing had looked lively, but his crosses were over-hit, and then the Liverpool winger flashed a volley over from a Young cross.
Wayne Rooney, who scored twice in Bulgaria, put a chipped effort too high while Terry also flashed a header wide.
Then Young found the spot and England improved – but only just.
At the start of the second half there was a worrying moment when Joe Hart missed a Gareth Bale cross as Chris Smalling dealt with the danger.
Some pressure was eased at the other end when first Lampard shot wide, and then Milner saw an effort deflected around the post.
Hennessey then dropped a cross, but Gary Cahill flashed his effort over.
It could have cost England had Earnshaw taken his chance. He will still be wondering how he missed.
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