England fight back against Germany after Harry Maguire howler - 5 talking points

England's dismissal Nations League campaign finished with a thrilling 3-3 draw against Germany at Wembley on Monday night.

Goals from Ilkay Gundogan and Kai Havertz gave the visitors a 2-0 goal lead, but Gareth Southgate's recovered thanks to strikes from Luke Shaw, Mason Mount and a penalty from Harry Kane. A late goal from Havertz ensured the visitors left London with a point.

It was a poignant night at Wembley. Both sets of players and the capacity crowd inside Wembley observed a minute's silence in honour of the Queen. Monday night's fixture was England's first home international since Her Majesty's passing earlier this month.

Here are the main talking points from Wembley.

Yes, it was a boring start

There was a lot of talk before the game about England's lack of goals. They hadn't scored from open play since last November - with only a single Kane penalty finding the net - and it seemed as if their dreary run would continue inside the first 20 minutes.

England failed to have a shot on target during that period and boasted just 38 per cent possession to bore the crowd into near silence. Just as worrying was the shaky defending, with several questionable passes being played into Nick Pope's feet. It's fair to say Southgate's side did little in the opening stages to boost confidence.

Shaw's spark gave hope

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England needed something to get them going - and Luke Shaw obliged. The under pressure Manchester United defender, who has struggled for minutes at Old Trafford of late, carved open Germany's defence with a superb ball into the feet of Raheem Sterling.

The Chelsea forward composed himself but couldn't get the better of Marc-Andre ter Stegen. After that, England took the game to their guests. They had two good chances over the next five or so minutes, but their final ball let them down on both occasions.

Kane dropping deeper

England's lack of creativity of late has forced Southgate to look differently at how his team play. One change he made on Monday night was to deploy Kane deeper - playing almost as a false nine - to allow Sterling and Phil Foden to push further forward.

Kane is known for his scoring prowess, but he's adapted his game in recent seasons - providing 24 assists in the Premier League since September 2020 - and recent evidence suggests England need his playmaking skills more than his goals at the minute.

Time to axe Maguire

Germany made the breakthrough in the 52nd minute thanks to Harry Maguire. The defender presented the ball straight to Jamal Musiala and then kicked the teenager to the ground, leaving the referee with no choice but to give a penalty after a VAR review.

Gundogan stepped up to convert the spot kick. It was a horrible moment for Maguire, who is out of form and Erik ten Hag's starting line-up. He must be dropped for the World Cup - unless he can drastically improve between now and November.

England fight back

The game opened up after Maguire's howler, with both teams enjoying chances. Yet Germany always looked like doubling their lead and made it 2-0 when Havertz curled a lovely strike into the top corner. England's defence did not get out quick enough to him.

The Three Lions looked dead and buried... until Shaw popped up. Just as he did in the Euros final, the left-back appeared at the far post to drill home a cross. Then came the equaliser - a superb strike from substitute Mount. Finally, England had some quality in front of goal.

Southate's side made it 3-2 in the 83rd minute when the VAR official advised the referee to check Nico Schlotterbeck challenge on Jude Bellingham. A penalty was given and Harry Kane stepped up to complete a memorable comeback at Wembley.

But just England thought they had won the game, a mistake from Nick Pope gifted Havertz a tap in. Although the Three Lions ended their long drought in front of goal, their World Cup hopes look slim on Monday night's evidence. There's always 2026, though.

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