Daniel Sturridge watch: How the England striker fared on the night his thumping header sparked 3-0 World Cup qualifying win over Scotland

DANIEL STURRIDGE has yet to bag a Premier League goal or a regular start for Liverpool this season.

But the enigmatic striker nodded a superb opener as interim England boss Gareth Southgate included him from the off in a 3-0 World Cup qualifying defeat of Scotland.

Reuters

AP:Associated Press

Here’s Charlie Wyett’s verdict on a star many whose consistency rather than ability is sometimes questioned.

Keep up to date with ALL the football news, gossip and transfers on our club page plus fixtures, results and live match commentary

IMPACT

CERTAINLY made his mark in the 24th minute with an excellent header to open the scoring. Apart from that goal, the Liverpool striker saw very little of the ball in the first half. Played a part in second goal and tried to steal Gary Cahill’s third.

Getty Images

DECISION-MAKING

WHEN he did get the ball, Sturridge was able to make a difference, but he was left isolated too often, which is  ridiculous for a home game at Wembley. His goal was instinctive rather than a case of him having to think about anything.

GOAL THREAT

BARELY touched the ball in the penalty box until his goal which was a smart finish. But here is a player low on confidence as he has not scored for Liverpool in the Premier League. In a game like this, he would have expected more chances.

AP:Associated Press

News Group Newspapers Ltd

TEAMWORK

THE aspect of his game that Sturridge needs to improve. Often plays for himself rather than the team, as he proved in Slovenia. Involved in the move which led to Adam Lallana’s second England goal and dropped deep  a couple of times.

VERDICT

EXCELLENT goal, other than that OK. It was more  important than his goal in Gareth Southgate’s first game in charge against Malta as it eased nerves in vital game. He must work harder. Harry Kane remains the top striker when fit.