Slovenia 0-0 England, World Cup 2018 qualifying as it happened

Full-time: Slovenia 0-0 England

Rather than losing two points, I think England have gained one this evening. The hosts created the better chances - and were probably the better side. England remain top of the group, mind you.

Anyway, that's all we have for you this evening. Thanks for joining us!

Five added minutes. Time for a winner, hopefully.

Cahill stops a breakaway by hacking Illic down to the ground. He is given a yellow card, but it could have been worse for the Chelsea man.

The Slovenians are unhappy with Cahill there. Jesse Lingard gets a yellow card for his part in it all. There was a bit of pushing and shoving going on. Lingard did not appear to be happy with something that was said to him.

Rashford comes on for Sturridge, but it is his Manchester United clubmate who almost gives England the lead. Jesse Lingard's shot is well saved by the keeper who pushes it away from danger. The England bench thought that was in.

Rooney almost makes an impression on this game, gathering the ball on the edge of the box, he curls an effort just wide of the upright. Marcus Rashford is preparing to come on, by the way.

Now Daniel Strurridge goes through in the right channel, but rather than cutting the ball back to Wayne Rooney in the six-yard box, he mistakenly opts to shoot. Poor, that.

Danny Rose, who has been one of England's better players this evening, goes on a zig-zagging run up the left flank but after turning inside, drags his right-footed effort past the near post.

That was promising, though.

Rooney, with the armband wrapped around his bicep, has replaced Dele Alli in the England team, suggesting he will slot into the number 10 role. What can England's all-time leading goalscorer do?

England are poised to make another change and it's a big one. Wayne Rooney is set to be introduced. I've no idea where he will play, to be honest with you. Midfield, out wide, up front... we're about to find out.

Joe Hart comes to England's rescue again! Once again, it's caused by a blind ball.

Jordan Henderson sets up Illic by accident, but Joe Hart spreads himself expertly to block the goal-bound shot. Slovenia pushing for a winner now.

It appears to be increasingly likely that one goal will be enough to win this game. Time for Rashford, Rooney or Vardy soon, surely?

Now Josip Ilicic fires just wide from the edge of the area for Slovenia, who are getting closer and closer.

Andros Townsend has come on for Theo Walcott, by the away. He'll add some direct running to the occasion if nothing else. In fact, his first speculative effort from distance is well parried by the keeper.

Jesse Lingard tries to find Sturridge at the back post but it's easily claimed by the keeper. We've almost played an hour in Slovenia and surely, a change can't be far off.

Out of nowhere, England have a four-versus-three scenario on the break but Dele Alli's through ball is under-hit. That was a real opportunity for Southgate's men, who have been under the pump for the opening ten minutes of the half.

It's one-way traffic at the moment, with Slovenia bossing the early minutes of the second half. Time for England to make a change...?

In saving those efforts, Hart appears to have injured his forearm. But after a bit of the magic spray, he appears good to continue. England have had a lucky escape there, though, and can thank their keeper for the cleansheet remaining intact.

And England are cut open straight from kick-off by a neat one-two move, but the eventual cutback is hacked behind by Theo Walcott.

From the corner, Joe Hart has to claw the ball away from his near post on two separate occasions. One of the saves was pretty remarkable, in fact, as the ball already appeared to be in the net!

Back underway, then. 45 minutes for Gareth Southgate's men to get three confidence-boosting points.

A big team talk for Gareth Southgate. What can he inspire in the second half?

Half-time: Slovenia 0-0 England

Goalless at the break, then. England have largely been the better side, but Slovenia have come closest to scoring. Back soon.

England are huffing and puffing at the moment. They just lack a bit of class and composure in the final third.

I wonder if Gareth Southgate would be tempted to introduce Marcus Rashford in the second half, with Theo Walcott and Jesse Lingard appearing to be the most vulnerable to a potential switch.

From their latest freekick, Gary Cahill causes mayhem in the Slovenia box - but the hosts are eventually able to scramble the ball clear before the Chelsea man can poke a loose ball home.

Less than five minutes to go until the break. For the time being, England are on top without creating any clear-cut chances. Can they do so before half-time?

A few shots of the England bench have shown Rooney talking tactics with some of his teammates. He certainly appears to be engaged with what is going on out there.

Back on the field, meanwhile, and Slovenia has conceded a freekick in a dangerous position. Valter Birsa of Chievo goes into the book. Henderson's effort doesn't reach its intended target, though, and it remains 0-0.

Sturridge has joined Dier in the ref's book now. On this occasion, the striker over-runs the ball and is a little too enthusiastic in trying to win it back. He'll need to watch his step.

This is fast becoming a very good game, with both sides seemingly committed to going for the win.

England started off on top, no doubt, but the hosts have posed a threat on the break.

Danny Rose is looking lively, looking to press forward at every opportunity. In truth, though, England need a bit more from Jesse Lingard, who has been on the periphery so far tonight.

After that misplaced pass, Eric Dier has been booked for a rash challenge. Gareth Southgate immediately gets to his feet and starts arguing with the official.

Shortly afterwards, a right-footed effort from Theo Walcott flashes over the bar from distance.

Theo Walcott wins a freekick on the right flank with a cute-looking turn, but England waste the chance. It's a very even, end-to-end game for the time being.

Sturridge - who has been lively in the opening minutes - goes down under pressure in the Slovenia box, but nothing is doing. That would've been soft in the extreme.

After an exciting start, England has conceded some ground in the last few minutes. Or to be more accurate perhaps, Slovenia have found their own bearings.

Well, well, well... we said it was a big night for Eric Dier and he's made a huge error - but got away with it. The Tottenham man made a blind backpass that puts an attacker through on goal - but Joe Hart stands tall to block the effort.

From a resultant chance, though, Jasmin Kurtic smashes the ball against the post. A HUGE let-off for Dier and England.

Up the other end now, and Daniel Sturridge lets fly from distance... but that was always optimistic from 30-odd yards and it flies high over the bar. An enterprising start, though.

The first slight error from an England viewpoint comes when they fail to clear the ball in the box, but the subsequent shot sails over the bar. Stones and Cahill should've hacked it into row Z earlier.

England have really asserted themselves in the opening minutes. It's apparent they're looking to take the game to their little-known opponents.

England are in control in the early moments, passing the ball around with an assurance, and they almost fashion a clear-cut chance when Dele Alli finds Daniel Sturridge but he can't quite round the keeper.

Slovenia are looking to press high up the pitch straight away. But Danny Rose leads a breakaway and wins a freekick in a dangerous-looking position.

The resultant freekick falls to Daniel Sturridge on the right side but his left-footed effort can't find the far corner. A positive start for the Three Lions, though.

Here we go, a Rooney-less England look to take another important step towards qualifying for the next World Cup in Russia. A big night for Southgate, Henderson and many others.

Anyway, England, who are in red, get the game underway!

Ten minutes to go until kick off, then. The players emerge from the tunnel, with Jordan Henderson leading England out for the first time in his career.

In the absence of Wayne Rooney, Gareth Southgate has been asked about the potential leaders in his side...

"It has to be a collective, there are leaders who will emerge over the next couple of years in this team," he said.

"Dier and Henderson are good athletic midfielders who can use the ball well and that is an area of the pitch which will be vital. We need to move the ball quickly."

England have won their last 14 qualifying games and are unbeaten in their last 31 qualifiers overall. That means that a win is expected outcome from England fans this evening.

What can fans expect from Southgate's England?

"Gareth Southgate has particular ideas on how he wants to play the game. He found it difficult at Middlesbrough but has fantastic players available for England," ex-England defender Danny Mills told BBC Radio.

"He can set them up whichever way he wants. They will be a footballing side who will put on an attacking display."

Eric Dier is the man chosen to replace Wayne Rooney in England's midfield. Naturally, fans will be keen to see how he performs in place of the Manchester United man.

Dier was one of few England players who emerged from Euro 2016 with his reputation enhanced - and Gareth Southgate will expect him to perform a key role in front of the England backline this evening. No pressure, then.

Breaking news

The Slovenia team news is in. You may not recognise too many names, but Atletico goalkeeper Oblak could be the key for the hosts tonight.

Slovenia: Oblak, Struna, Samardzic, Cesar, Jokic, Krhin, Kurtic, Verbic, Birsa, Bezjak, Ilicic

The stadium is fast filling up in Slovenia. Given England's recent troubles, the hosts may fancy their chances of an upset.

Ahead of the match, ex-England goalkeeper Peter Shilton has been talking about the decision to drop Wayne Rooney.

"I think Wayne has been struggling for a year with club and international form," Shilton told BBC Radio 5. "He's not quite the player he was and I don't think he's going to get any better as he gets older and after the Malta match I think it's the right decision."

In case you missed it, England have already won today ... the under-21s beat Bosnia and Herzegovinia 5-0. Tammy Abraham was the star of the show.

To read more about that, follow our report here.

Gareth Southgate defended Wayne Rooney after the game against Malta. But said he his style was not suited to facing Slovenia.

"We've looked at the way Slovenia play, which we did midway last week. And we profiled the kind of midfield we wanted to play," he said.

"It is in no way a reflection of Rooney's performance at the weekend, in fact we were very pleased with the way he played. It was not an easy decision to make but we felt it was the right one."

A huge evening, then, for Jordan Henderson. The Liverpool captain is now the England captain. How will he go?

Pre-match thoughts

Gareth Southgate on the Rooney decision: "I've got to make decisions which are right for the team and whenever you select a team with England, you're going to leave some guys on the bench that are playing every week in the Premier League for their club. You have to be prepared to do that. That's part and parcel of the job."

Breaking team news

The England team is in - and Eric Dier comes in in place of Wayne Rooney, and Danny Rose comes in for Ryan Bertrand. The Rooney news is something we knew beforehand, of course, but it's still odd to see the Manchester United captain on the bench.

Preview

Ahead of the game, the narrative has centred on England skipper Wayne Rooney, who has been replaced in the side.

Jordan Henderson of Liverpool will take over the captaincy duties in his absence. We're still waiting for the other details to be confirmed, though.

It promises to be an eye-catching team selection by Gareth Southgate one way or another.

Good evening and welcome to IBTimes UK's coverage of England's latest World Cup qualifier against Slovenia.

Gareth Southgate will be looking to add another win to their triumph against Malta and underline his credentials to as potentially the next England boss.

We'll bring you the all-important team news as soon as we get it...