It was a night to forget for England as they were thrashed 4-0 by Hungary, although it's likely they'll be reminded about the result for some time.
England named a respectable side for Tuesday's clash, with opportunities given to Jarrod Bowen, Conor Gallagher, Marc Guehi and Aaron Ramsdale. But the result proved that Gareth Southgate 's strongest XI is not one that can be tinkered with. The England side pretty much picks itself at this moment in time, although there is still a debate about who should be Southgate's no. 1.
Jordan Pickford is still the main man, but Ramsdale has recently predicted that he will be given the nod in the near future. However, The Arsenal goalkeeper had a game to forget, and his words came back to haunt him as he failed his audition against Hungary.
A 4-0 loss at Molineux, and a red card for John Stones. England's worst defeat on home soil since 1928, and if it wasn't for Harry Kane's late penalty against Germany, the Three Lions would have gone all four Nations League games without scoring a single goal.
But the defeat to Hungary was particularly alarming, and mistakes cropped up all over pitch for England, with Ramsdale and Kalvin Phillips being highlighted for both having howlers on the night. But Ramsdale kept a clean sheet during a 0-0 draw with Italy in England's last game, and the Arsenal keeper confidently admitted that he is pushing Pickford for the no.1 spot.
Ramsdale told talkSport : "By no means I am second choice. I am pushing me, I am pushing him (Pickford). If I can put performances in like that a little bit more when I get the chance, I think I will be pushing him all the way.
"The challenge is amazing and trying to put in performances like that whenever I play will only push Jordan. I was happy with a few saves and the clean sheet."
But Ramsdale's Italy performance has now been forgotten after having a game to forget against Hungary, and it's proved just how far away any competitor is to knocking Pickford off his perch. There has been some criticism for Pickford due to Everton's poor Premier League form, but when it comes to England there is no debate.
Pickford has rightly earned his stripes after starring in both of England's last two major tournaments, as they reached both the semi-finals and the final in the World Cup and the European Championships. But recent matches have highlighted that there is still a lot of work to be done before the next World Cup in Qatar, which is now only months away.
Southgate and his England side were booed on Tuesday, and the England boss reacted to the defeat and the hostile reaction after the final whistle. "We picked a young team with energy, and when the game started to go against them, it started to look that way," Southgate said. "That’s my responsibility in the end.
"I’ve just said to the players that across the four matches, that’s my responsibility. I’ve tried to balance looking at new players, tried to rest players, we couldn’t keep flogging our more experienced and better players, but in the end the teams I’ve selected haven’t been good enough to get the results in the two Hungary games really.
"I think the other two performances have been more positive than perhaps the reaction to it. But I totally understand the reaction tonight, it’s a chastening experience."
