Before Monday night, Raheem Sterling had failed to score a goal for England in two years. In the process, Sterling had missed guilt-edged chances in many games, nonetheless in both quarter and semi-final matches at the World Cup in Russia this summer.
Like London busses, Sterling's goals seem to come in twos; against Spain he scored two goals in 35 minutes. The two strikes, either side of a Marcus Rashford goal, went some way to to well and truly shutting up the critics for both players.
Sterling answered the calls for him to be more clinical in front of goal, dispatching both of his efforts with a calm and composed aura, much like he displays week in week out in Premier League penalty areas for Manchester City.
Former England international, Burnley's Aaron Lennon was very impressed by Sterling's display; claiming that the criticism the forward had recieved as of late has been slightly uncalled for, but his two goals were the perfect answer.
Speaking to 'Sky Sports News' after England's 3-2 victory in Seville, Lennon had high praise for Sterling, commenting: "He has been getting some unfair criticism. People have been on his case and I can't see why, because he has been brilliant. He's a superstar for England and is so important for them, as he showed on Monday night. It was brilliant for him to score, I was really happy for him."
Lennon continued to assert his belief that while being an England international comes with certain levels of scrutiny, Sterling has endured more than most in his first few years with the senior side.
Of Sterling's attitude Lennon said: "You get that pressure. It is part of it. I just think some of it has been unfair towards Raheem. He'll have to deal with it, and he's shown he has. Put the ball in the net - like he did against Spain - and a few people will probably get off his back."
The Burnley winger was also keen to praise the team performance on Monday, highlighting the squad's potential to achieve big things after their semi-final World Cup finish in the summer.
Lennon praised the 'Three Lions', saying: "If you look at that team, they got it perfect on Monday night. Teams will be scared of them because they've got great balance, great shape and a counter-attack that's deadly and ruthless. The players they've got, they have the ability to do that to any team."