Match report: Germany 1 England 2 | Capello's 24-carat gold reserves | How England rated | Debate: what is England's best XI now? | Agbonlahor merits inclusion in long-term plans | Rise and rise of Captain Responsible | Wenger eyes Walcott compensation | Giles Smith: was it meaningful enough to put I'm a Celebrity on hold for a night? | Debate: were Carson and Bent the only losers in Berlin?

6 David James With a team of ingénues and second-stringers in front of him, the solid figure of James was a reassuring sight in goal, notwithstanding some early difficulties with the slick conditions underfoot. The Portsmouth goalkeeper’s positioning was sound, even with a new back four, and he swept up admirably, leaving his line regularly and punching away one devilish free kick.

5 Glen Johnson The second of three Fratton Park stalwarts in Capello’s starting XI, Johnson was presented with a glittering opportunity to stake a claim for a place that Wes Brown has slipped into rather than guaranteed. Not wholly convincing. Showed greater attacking intent than his Manchester United rival, although Johnson faced a slippery opponent in Piotr Trochowski.

6 John Terry Welcome back, captain, although he will be kicking himself for not kicking the ball away before Helmes stole in to score the equaliser. Apart from the error, he marshalled an inexperienced team through a daunting occasion and led by example, scoring England’s winner six minutes from time. His teammates will have been glad of his presence after he missed the World Cup qualifiers against Kazakhstan and Belarus through injury.

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Agbonlahor was far more impressive than all four of Capello’s previous first caps

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Capello’s 24-carat gold reserves

The England manager celebrated a near-perfect year in charge as his second-string deservedly beat Germany 2-1

• England's lesser lights combine to fulfil year of transformation

• How the England players rated against Germany

• Rise and rise of John Terry, aka Captain Responsible

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• Capello’s 24-carat gold reserves

• England's lesser lights fulfil transformation

• Walcott slip puts forward line a step back

7 Matthew Upson Meant to be deputising for Rio Ferdinand, but Upson proved a useful deputy for Wayne Rooney, too, reacting smartly when Downing’s corner caused pandemonium in the German penalty area. If his first goal for England was straightforward - a toe-poke from close range - the West Ham United centre half would have expected a busier time in his day job. Solid.

6 Wayne Bridge Linking up adroitly with Downing without neglecting his defensive duties, Bridge was another studious, sturdy performer. While Ashley Cole may be the more menacing, well-rounded left back, can Bridge be satisfied with playing a distant second fiddle to his Chelsea colleague for club and country? No histrionics, no alarms and not much to be worried about. Is it time to move on from Stamford Bridge?

6 Shaun Wright-Phillips Has waited for 12 months to exorcise the demons of Croatia. Wright-Phillips was the main beneficiary of Theo Walcott’s dislocated shoulder and he showed some neat touches and welcome bursts of pace in the first half. Hit a post late in the second half with a stunning shot from the edge of the area. At 27 and with 22 caps to his credit, it is no longer appropriate to speak of his potential.

8 Michael Carrick The England team’s Germany specialist. This was Carrick’s debut under Fabio Capello and his first international appearance since the 2-1 defeat by Germany last year, a record that does not do justice to his talent. While a midfield featuring him and Barry was never going to be furious or dynamic, their neat use of the ball meant possession was rarely wasted and their tackling was sound. Carrick makes it look easy.

7 Gareth Barry The mark of a decent midfield player? You hardly notice them when they are present and miss them grievously when they are not, a category that Barry comfortably fits into. Germany struggled to get a foothold in the centre of the park, a testament to the good sense and clever positioning of Barry and Carrick. Capello is unlikely to tackle the Lampard and Gerrard question by dropping both, but here was some food for thought.

8 Stewart Downing Made a predictable, if harsh, scapegoat for England’s sticky World Cup qualifying start away to Andorra in September, but the Middlesbrough winger had more salubrious surroundings in which to express himself last night. While there will always be those who object to his lugubrious manner, Downing created both goals in Berlin. Had a shot beaten away on the stroke of half-time in his best performance for England.

6 Jermain Defoe Directed an early shot against the goalkeeper’s legs when clearly offside, but otherwise found scoring opportunities in short supply. Whether it is Defoe or Michael Owen stationed up front, nippy strikers rely upon service as much as their speed and for all England’s possession, that was the sole concern. Yet there was much to admire in a fleet-footed partnership with Agbonlahor.

7 Gabriel Agbonlahor Some players grow in stature when thrust into the big time, while others shrink. Agbonlahor edged towards the former, working Germany’s defenders well and unceremoniously barging into Adler in the fourteenth minute, but chances were not plentiful. With eight goals for Aston Villa this season, the 22-year-old is maturing into a sharp talent and he was neither fazed nor embarrassed.

Average rating 6.2

Substitutions

4 Darren Bent (for Defoe, 46min): May have hoped to start after his explosive form for Tottenham Hotspur, but missed a clear chance to score

4 Scott Carson (for James, 46): A chance to rebuild his confidence after his Croatia debacle, but blew it

Ashley Young (for Agbonlahor, 77)

Peter Crouch (for Wright-Phillips, 90)

Not used Paul Robinson, Joleon Lescott, Micah Richards, Michael Mancienne, Curtis Davies, Scott Parker, Jimmy Bullard

How Germany rated
Rene Adler ......................................................... 4
Arne Friedrich .................................................... 5
Heiko Westermann ............................................. 5
Simon Rolfes ...................................................... 5
Bastian Schweinsteiger ...................................... 5
Jermaine Jone .................................................... 6
Miroslav Klose .................................................... 6
Piotr Trochowski ................................................. 7
Marvin Compper ................................................. 5
Per Mertesacker ................................................. 5
Mario Gómez ...................................................... 5

Substitutes Tim Wiese (for Adler, 46min), Marko Marin (for Jones, 46), Patrick Helmes (for Klose, 46), Lukas Podolski (for Gómez, 57), Serdar Tasci (for Friedrich, 68), Marcel Schafer (for Compper, 78)

Not used Andreas Hinkel, Thomas Hitzlsperger, Tobias Weis

Crock watch England’s injury curse struck again at half-time when Jermain Defoe had to be replaced by Darren Bent because of a tight calf muscle, but luckily for Portsmouth, the striker is expected to be fit to play against Hull City on Saturday. Luiz Felipe Scolari, the Chelsea manager, would have been concerned at the way that John Terry, who has only just recovered from a foot injury, launched himself into challenges. Glen Johnson, the right back, is expected to be fit to play for Portsmouth at the weekend despite being on the receiving end of some crunching tackles.

Capello watch The Italian sprang a surprise by starting with Gabriel Agbonlahor and he raised some eyebrows by leaving his cashmere overcoat at home, opting for a standard issue, zip-up England training coat. Joachim Löw, the Germany coach, prowled the touchline wearing a black coat that made him look like an extra in Pirates of the Caribbean. Capello wanted his forwards to exploit the lack of pace at the heart of the Germany defence and the manager was on his feet in the first half urging Michael Carrick to find Agbonlahor and Jermain Defoe with long balls.

Crowd watch The players may change, but the song remains the same. England supporters spent most of the 90 minutes singing Rule Britannia, God Save the Queen and “England till I Die”, but some of them booed the German national anthem. Two wrongs don’t make a right, but God Save the Queen was jeered by some German fans. At least there was no repeat of the trouble outside the ground inside the stadium. The athletics track kept supporters away from the action, but England fans behind the goal that their team were attacking in the first half had a perfect view of Matthew Upson’s goal.

Respect watch Massimo Busacca did well to ignore Germany’s half-hearted appeals for a foul on Rene Adler, the Bayer Leverkusen goalkeeper, when Matthew Upson gave England the lead. The Swiss official also proved that he was not card-happy soon after by waiting for Shaun Wright-Phillips to commit two significant fouls before he showed a yellow card. The officials had a quiet evening and got most of the big decisions right, but they had to be on their toes to make sure that Gabriel Agbonlahor, Jermain Defoe and Darren Bent timed their runs perfectly.