A first international goal for Adam Lallana was among Slovakia v England talking points.
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Four talking points from Slovakia v England as the Allardyce era begins

| 06.09.2016
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Jamie Clark, Sports Editor | September 5, 2016

Four Slovakia v England talking points

England’s new era under Sam Allardyce and 2018 World Cup qualifying got underway with a last-gasp 1-0 win in Slovakia.

Although the game was far from attractive viewing, there was still plenty to ponder following this fortuitous win that saw the Three Lions be frustrated, with a sense of deja vu heavy in the air from when they played Slovakia at the Euros.

Coral now offer nifty 9/2 odds for England to win all of their 2018 World Cup qualifying Group F matches.

Our football experts have come up with four Slovakia v England talking points from the game. Read on to see what we feel this fixture has thrown up…

Big Sam keeps faith

Speculation had mounted just how much Allardyce would wield the axe on an England roster that really didn’t do itself justice with an embarrassing Euro 2016 exit at the hands of Iceland.

However fortunate it was, you cannot take a winning start away from new England manager Sam Allardyce.

However fortunate it was, you cannot take a winning start away from new England manager Sam Allardyce.

As soon as Big Sam’s first Three Lions squad came out, though, the emphasis was more on continuity than change. That theme continued with him naming eight of the starting XI from the Iceland game.

Only Harry Kane, Jordan Henderson and John Stones came into the England line-up. Meanwhile, West Ham United winger Michail Antonio was the only fresh face on the roster, with Ross Barley and Jack Wilshere dropped.

Liverpool were right to sell Skrtel

Slovakia skipper Martin Skrtel has always been regarded as something of a blunt instrument and when Jurgent Klopp replaced Brendan Rodgers at Anfield last autumn he wasn’t to the German gaffer’s taste.

That left Skrtel frozen out of first-team affairs, and a summer switch to Fenerbahce offered him a way out of Merseyside. Despite being his country’s captain, the performance put in by Skrtel was shocking, completely vindicating Klopp’s decision to drop and sell him.

First getting booked for elbowing Kane in the first-half, Skrtel then stamped on the Spurs striker and was sent off for an early bath before the hour mark. When Fenerbahce face Manchester United in the Europa League group stage, Skrtel best remember Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a karate expert.

Walcott disallowed goal should’ve stood

Theo Walcott missed a guilt edge chance before seeing a goal wrongly chalked off.

Theo Walcott missed a guilt edge chance before seeing a goal wrongly chalked off.

Theo Walcott thought he’d grabbed a late winner, but a raised offside flag drew a halt to celebrations despite protests from the Arsenal attacker, England skipper Wayne Rooney and fellow sub Daniel Sturridge.

Replays showed when Sturridge passed to Walcott to fire home from a tight angle the ball came off a Slovakia defender, but the referee was unmoved by appeals.

It’s a decision from the officials that looked to have cost the Three Lions three points and Allardyce a winning start to World Cup qualifying, but the drama wasn’t done…

Lively Lallana cements spot

Many England fans were disappointed to see Adam Lallana kept his place, with the damning statistic of no goals in 26 senior caps before the Slovakia game.

The Liverpool midfielder looked to have had another disappointing day when his silky shot on the turn from the edge of the area came back off the inside of the post during a lively display.

Lallana finally broke his Three Lions duck at the 27th attempt in the 95th minute, deep into stoppage time. Slovakia stopper Matus Kozacik just couldn’t keep his effort out.

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Author

Jamie Clark

Athletics aficionado, die-hard snooker fan and Crystal Palace supporter Jamie has written for Coral since February 2014 after spells with Soccerlens and the Press Association as a digital journalist and copywriter. A former East Midlands sports correspondent and Bwin tipster, he is a graduate of both the University of York and University of Sheffield, with a Masters in web journalism from the latter.