Marcus Rashford the difference as England beat Switzerland

Marcus Rashford grabbed the winner as England ended a run of three defeats with a 1-0 friendly victory over Switzerland at the King Power Stadium.

The Manchester United forward made it two goals in his last two appearances for his country when he swept home a cool volley from Kyle Walker's deep cross nine minutes into the second half.

It proved to be the decisive moment in a match where the Three Lions failed to ignite for long periods. Gareth Southgate made nine changes from the side that lost their opening Nations League clash with Spain, and it showed as the hosts struggled for fluidity in a dour first-half.

Liverpool's Xherdan Shaqiri had the visitors' best chance, firing against the post when he should have punished Jack Butland and a shaky England rearguard for taking chances playing from the back early on.

England improved after the break and finished as the stronger side with the likes Harry Kane and Jordan Henderson featuring in a second half littered with changes from both coaches. Leicester's Ben Chilwell also came on for his senior bow.

Southgate and Co will now look ahead to next month's UEFA Nations League Group A4 double header away to Croatia and Spain respectively.

England's second-half improvement pays off, but they continue to lack creativity. Set pieces were a key feature of England's run to the semi finals in Russia, but their lack of flair and invention was evident when they came up against better sides in the shape of Croatia and Belgium. This was obvious versus Spain on Saturday, and once more against the Swiss, who are ranked amongst the top 10 sides in the world according to FIFA. The likes of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Fabian Delph and Danny Welbeck failed to take full advantage of their opportunities, but England did improve as the game wore on and looked a stronger outfit when the more established stars appeared from the bench. Southgate will be happy to avoid a fourth straight loss, but the concerns he has voiced about a lack of playing time for English players to develop in the top-flight will only be heightened when he reflects on this period of internationals.

Danny Rose (England). The Spurs man was his country's stand-out performer in a disappointing first half and continued to push forward and create problems down the left throughout.

ENGLAND: Butland 5, Alexander-Arnold 6, Walker 6, Tarkowski 6, Maguire 7, Rose 8, Dier 5, Loftus-Cheek 5, Delph 5, Welbeck 5, Rashford 7. Subs: Kane 6, Stones 6, Lingard 6, Henderson 6, Trippier 6, Chilwell 5.

SWITZERLAND: Sommer 7, Akanji 6, Djourou 6, Schar 6, Lichtsteiner 6, Freuler 6, Xhaka 6, Rodriguez 7, Zakaria 6, Gavranovic 6, Shaqiri 6. Subs: Mehmedi 6, Moubandje 6, Fernandes 5, Ajeti 5, Zuber 5, Seferovic n/a.

7' - SWITZERLAND HIT THE POST. England twice get caught playing out from the back, with Butland the major culprit. The first time is a let off, but the second should end in a goal to the away side. Xherdan Shaqiri is clear on goal but sees a shot from a gilt-edged opening hit the post.

31' - SWITZERLAND CHANCE. Mario Gavranovic somehow wriggles between Tarkowski and Walker to get onto a long ball, but see his shot blocked by Butland.

38' - ENGLAND CHANCE. England suddenly burst free from Maguire's hoofed clearance. Rashford flies down the right and fires in a low cross that Rose meets from a narrow angle, but Sommer is there to push it to safety.

54' - GOAL! England 1-0 Switzerland. Rashford coolly volleys home at the far post from Walker's superb, deep cross.

64' - SWITZERLAND CHANCE. Shaqiri takes a low cross from the right in his path brilliantly, but sees his shot magnificently blocked by Stones. Not a bad way to announce your arrival in the game.

England have lost just one of their last 20 home internationals played at venues other than Wembley (W16 D3).

Rashford scored in consecutive England games for the first time in his career.

Ben Chilwell is the first player to make his England debut at his current club's home ground since Paul Scholes in May 1997 (vs South Africa at Old Trafford).