Sterling's 'rest' hurts England

Roy Hodgson insists Raheem Sterling's complaints about fatigue left him with no choice but to rest the Liverpool midfielder for England's sputtering 1-0 win over Estonia on Sunday.

Sterling, 19, was benched for the Euro 2016 qualifier after telling manager Hodgson he felt below his best, both mentally and physically.

But Hodgson's decision to go along with Sterling's wishes - selecting Liverpool's Adam Lallana instead - proved a significant problem as England labored to break down Estonia, a lowly 81st in FIFA's world rankings, for long periods of a scrappy encounter, even after host captain Ragnar Klavan was banished in the 48th minute.