England continued the good work from Friday's convincing win against Montenegro with another display of flexibility and mobility, with Steven Gerrard and Michael Carrick sensibly anchoring the midfield to allow Roy Hodgson's attacking players freedom to roam up front. Poland were slightly more impressive than Montenegro though they too came with a defensive mindset, failing to mount any sustained attacks until they went behind.

That was understandable in the circumstances, they had nothing but their 18,000 fans to play for, after all, but it does mean England are still waiting to try out their exciting new attacking line-up on opponents willing to come out and give them a game.

The inclusion of Carrick at Frank Lampard's expense was designed to put a more recognised defensive midfielder in place, someone willing to stay back, break up opposing attacks and help the back four keep Poland's forwards at bay. That left a question mark over the role of the notional wide players in Hodgson's formation. On Friday night, hungry for goals, England had variously played with three, sometimes four players up front, with Andros Townsend more or less sticking to the duties expected of a right winger but Danny Welbeck popping up in advanced positions all over the pitch. Would England be as bold in a search for a win again, or would they keep players back out of respect for Poland's ability on the counterattack?

Hodgson kept the same attacking quartet for this final group game, no surprise after the Montenegro result and the praise the manager received from his players for an adventurous selection – though Townsend and Welbeck began in more orthodox wide roles in a conventional 4-4-2, Welbeck occasionally moving inside when Leighton Baines stepped up to provide width on the left.

Baines was doing just that in the eighth minute when Wayne Rooney found him in space, for a low cross that would have found Welbeck at the near post but for a timely intervention by Artur Jedrzejczyk. That was promising for England, less so was the ease with which Poland broke straight down the pitch from the resultant corner, the England defence backing off to allow Robert Lewandowski his first shooting chance of the night. His tame effort was easily gathered by Joe Hart, but it was a warning nonetheless that Poland could swiftly carry the ball from one goalline to the other.

England's problem in the past when playing with two banks of four and two strikers has often been that the forwards become isolated when the midfield gets pushed back on to the defence. That did not happen here, despite Gerrard and Carrick deliberately operating in deep positions just ahead of the back four. Rooney kept coming back into midfield in search of the ball, Welbeck kept cutting inside, and the mobility of Baines and Townsend on the flanks kept England functioning as a single unit.

That said, England were very nearly caught out midway through the first half when Lewandowski really should have scored. Again England were almost caught out at their own corner, having left only Baines on guard duty in his own half, a strategy that looked flawed when he was suddenly outnumbered.

Townsend almost made a goal out of nothing when his speculative shot on the half hour came back off the bar, with Welbeck forcing a save from the follow-up, yet Carrick and Gerrard were also making progress by carefully launching attacks with short, precise passes from the base of midfield.

Gerrard and Rooney nearly managed to play in Welbeck shortly before the interval, Piotr Celeban rescuing his side with a block, and both were involved – Carrick twice – in the endlessly patient passing move that led to Rooney's headed goal moments later. Again Baines found useful space on the left, Carrick found him, and the rest was down to the Everton player's reliable crossing ability. England ended the first half with three up front, Welbeck having all but deserted the left wing to play alongside Sturridge and Rooney, a system only made possible by the freedom Baines was being granted on his wing by Poland's relectance to get forward and engage him.

It might have been a different story had it been Poland who needed a win, but Baines was never tested by Jakub Blaszczykowski or anyone else in the manner many had predicted. The Polish captain switched wings in the first half, possibly hoping to play on Chris Samlling's inexperience, but that just left Baines with even less to do.

While Poland were content to soak up pressure and try to score on the break, staying mostly behind the ball allowed England an almost permanent outlet on the left that Gerrard, Carrick and Rooney were all happy to exploit. Lewandowski could have equalised on the hour – Joe Hart just got a decisive glove to the ball after Blaszczykowski had neatly opened up a path to goal – but England would not be England without a few scares and close calls. Towards the end England began to defend deep and invite pressure. New-look England is still a work in progress.