England ended a two-match losing streak and began 2014 with a victory this evening, beating Denmark 1-0 in the first of four warm-up matches before the World Cup.

Raheem Sterling almost celebrated his return to the side with a goal at the end of the first half, but Peter Ankersen did well to prevent a simple tap-in, bundling the ball onto his own post.

It was Daniel Sturridge who got the winner with just eight minutes of the match remaining, rising highest at the back post to nod Adam Lallana's cross into the far corner.

Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at the start of the Three Lions' preparations for the World Cup.

Match statistics

England
Shots: 19
On target: 5
Possession: 57%
Corners: 11
Fouls: 10

Denmark
Shots: 5
On target: 2
Possession: 43%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 13

Was the result fair?

Yes. England by no means dominated their opponents this evening, but they did enjoy the majority of the ball and carved out the better chances overall. Denmark had a few sights of goal that they perhaps should have scored, but a draw would have flattered them this evening.

Having had 19 shots overall, Roy Hodgson won't be too happy that only five of them were on target, but in truth it took a fine display from Kasper Schmeichel to keep the score down to just one for the hosts. He was unfortunate to be on the losing side, but as a whole England deserved their win tonight.

England's performance

It was an improvement on their performances against Chile and Germany, but it was still a rather uninspiring and dull display from the Three Lions. They struggled to create as many chances as their possession suggests and their attacks often lacked the pace and creativity required to break down a stubborn Denmark defence.

There were certainly positives for Hodgson to take from the match, notably the performances of fringe players such as Raheem Sterling, Adam Lallana and Luke Shaw, while seasoned campaigner Ashley Cole also reminded England fans what he can do with a good first-half showing.

However, the performance may well leave him with more questions than answers and he is unlikely to have found out as much as he would have liked to in the final game before his provisional World Cup squad announcement. One thing is for certain - they will need to play better than that if they are to get out of a tough group in Brazil.

Denmark's performance

The Danes put in a solid display and did have a couple of chances to carve out a victory tonight. They dealt with the vast majority of England's ventures forward, packing out the middle to starve the likes of Wayne Rooney of space.

Their defensive performance was very impressive for much of the game, with the backline rarely found wanting and Schmeichel on hand to save them every time they were. They had two particularly good chances at the other end too, but failed to take either.

Overall, they can't have too many complaints about losing this evening's match by a solitary goal and Morten Olsen will take plenty of positives from the performance going into the qualifying campaign for the 2016 European Championships.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Kasper Schmeichel: It isn't often that a player on the losing team gets named man of the match, especially the goalkeeper. However, Schmeichel put in a superb display this evening and, without him, things would have been a lot worse for the visitors.

He made a very good stop from Daniel Sturridge at the end of the first half to keep things goalless going into the break, while he also denied Danny Welbeck twice and Sturridge again before finally being beaten by a header that he could do nothing about.

Schmeichel is currently embroiled in a battle for his country's number one shirt, and he certainly did his chances no harm tonight. The biggest compliment that can be given to him this evening is that, at times, he looked like his dad Peter between the sticks.

Biggest gaffe

There weren't many gaffes tonight, so this award is going to be quite a harsh one. It goes to Sterling for failing to convert a good chance towards the end of the first half as Ashley Cole sent a low cross into the area.

The Liverpool man was inside the six-yard box with the goal gaping, but some fine defending from Peter Ankersen was enough to send the ball onto the post off a mixture of the two players.

To be hyper-critical, you could say that Sterling could have been stronger or slid in earlier to finish the chance, but in truth it was just good defending.

Referee performance

Friendlies are usually fairly easy affairs for referees, and this one was no different. Kevin Blom had no major decisions to make throughout the game and the yellow cards he dished out were all warranted, even in a friendly.

What next?

England: England's next match comes on May 30 as they face Peru in the final match before Roy Hodgson must name his final 23-man squad for the World Cup.

Denmark: Denmark, meanwhile, are scheduled to face Hungary on May 21 in a friendly.