Tuchel refuses to name No 1 as Trafford's double save seals England's win over Spain

Thomas Tuchel refused to anoint James Trafford as England’s first-choice goalkeeper despite the 22-year-old’s match-saving double stop in stoppage time, as the Three Lions inflicted Spain’s first defeat in 43 games with a 3-2 victory at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid.

Harry Kane opened the scoring from the penalty spot before Ezri Konsa headed in unmarked from a corner early in the second half. Ben White then slid in a composed finish to make it 3-0 in the 58th minute, putting England in complete control.

The game shifted dramatically just after the hour mark when Elliot Anderson was sent off for bringing down Lamine Yamal as the last man. Mikel Oyarzabal converted the resulting penalty, and Nico Williams added a second for the world champions in the 75th minute to set up a nervy finish. England held on, but only after Trafford produced two outstanding late saves to deny Fermin Lopez and Yamal in stoppage time — the second a rapid recovery to tip a rebound past the post after his initial stop.

Despite the performance, Tuchel was deliberately non-committal when asked whether Trafford had done enough to claim the shirt ahead of Jordan Pickford. “There’s no number one. It’s a good double save. That’s what we wanted. He had a brilliant match. It only works if you’re top from number one to 11,” the England manager said after full-time.

Pickford had started England’s previous three matches and has long been the undisputed first choice, but eyebrows were raised when Tuchel dropped the Everton keeper for the visit to the world champions. Trafford had previously started the 3-2 defeat to Spain at Wembley in September and the subsequent win over Czechia, giving him a degree of familiarity with this fixture.

The result secured England top spot in Nations League Group A3, setting up a quarter-final in March against one of the second-placed sides from the other groups. That tie is likely to provide the next opportunity for Tuchel to clarify his thinking in goal — a selection debate that Trafford’s display in Madrid has made considerably harder to avoid.