Phil Neville says he is endeavouring to keep his players’ “feet on the ground” but on Sunday Sweden delighted in doing the England coach’s job for him.

All the bold talk about the Lionesses potentially winning the World Cup in France next summer was made to look a little optimistic by their first home defeat since February 2015 when England, then managed by Mark Sampson, lost 1-0 against the USA in Milton Keynes.

If that reverse to the current world champions was not entirely unexpected, this setback in a friendly against visitors who seemed seriously underestimated came as a minor, unscheduled shock on what was supposed to be a day of celebration.

Neville had hoped to make the afternoon all about Steph Houghton as his captain collected her 100th cap but was instead forced to give his squad a “back to basics” lecture. “You always want to celebrate something like Steff’s achievement with victory but it wasn’t to be,” Neville said. “The best team won. Sweden slowed the game right down, everything seemed to take an age, but that’s the way they play. They’re a really good team and were never going to open up against us.

“It’s a disappointment – but maybe one we needed. We didn’t do the basics right. There’s rightly been massive euphoria around us but sometimes everyone can get carried away. In the first half the only two players able to compete with Sweden and who showed any kind of aggression were Jill Scott and Lucy Bronze.”

Peter Gerhardsson’s players joined in the heartfelt applause before kick-off as Houghton’s family joined her for a presentation on the pitch. Once the game kicked off, though, Sweden made it plain they had not travelled to South Yorkshire to merely make up the numbers at a Lionesses party.

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Since succeeding Pia Sundhage, Gerhardsson has talked of implementing a more expansive attacking game but his side – ranked ninth in the world to England’s third – remain extremely resilient defensively. Not to mention first-class time-wasters.

Their meticulous organisation and highly disciplined work rate was showcased as they alternated, seamlessly, between 3-4-3 and 5-4-1. In contrast, England – Bronze and Scott apart – were constantly half a yard off the pace, uncharacteristically slapdash and paid for a couple of lapses in concentration.

As soon as Neville’s defence stood off Sofia Jakobsson she unleashed a curving left-foot shot which arced, tantalisingly, out of Carly Telford’s reach.

England were untypically leggy, hesitant and ponderous in possession. They needed to move the ball much faster and incisively but instead Caroline Seger, Sweden’s captain, was allowed to control midfield and dictate the tempo.

When Seger headed against a post from a set play, England failed to heed the warning and they fell further behind as Anna Anvegård swivelled before lashing a close-range volley beyond Telford following a corner.

Neville, whose wife, children and mother were attending their first England game since he took charge, responded by replacing Beth Mead with Toni Duggan at half-time. England improved, finally giving Hedvig Lindahl, Sweden’s goalkeeper, a few frights but were still not quite imaginative, or incisive, enough to seriously unnerve Magdalena Eriksson and her co-defenders.

Granted, Duggan sharpened things up appreciably while Bronze’s swashbuckling advances from right-back stretched Gerhardsson’s side but there was still not enough for the 9,561 crowd to get overly excited.

It was a smaller attendance than the forecast 12,000 full house but the empty seats appeared emblematic of an afternoon of anticlimax. “The fans will have gone away slightly disappointed,” Neville said. “That hurts, we wanted to give them goals and excitement – but you don’t always get what you want in life.

“Although we miss [the injured] Jodie Taylor and Fran Kirby I felt this team had enough quality to win. But with 20 minutes to go I was enjoying the fact we were suffering because, sometimes in life, you need pain. We were on the crest of a wave and maybe it was time to remind everyone that we’re not just going to turn up and win the World Cup.”