Jade Moore appears to have timed her return to form and full fitness with the sort of measured precision she used to dissect Spain’s defence.

Much of Phil Neville’s tenure as England manager has coincided with a lengthy layoff for Moore but the Reading midfielder helped create the goals scored by Beth Mead and Ellen White as England reasserted their credentials as contenders to win this summer’s World Cup in France.

England 2-1 Spain: women's international friendly – as it happened Read more

Neville is now bracing himself to make the cruellest of cuts as he trims his squad to the final 23 but he surely dare not drop Moore. Not after this display in front of 13,449 where both she and her midfield partner, the excellent Jill Scott, deconstructed considerable early Spanish dominance. “Jade showed everything I wanted to see,” said Neville. “She’s a great character and a great leader. We’re delighted to have her back. And Jill was unbelievable. She’s vital to us.”

Two years ago, England beat Spain 2-0 in the group stages of Euro 2017 but had only 30% of the ball. Purely in terms of possession, it initially seemed a case of deja vu as the home side struggled to escape their own half, let alone string more than a couple of passes together. Spain are rated a modest 13th in the Fifa world rankings but the Lionesses, ranked third, endured prolonged periods when they barely got a touch.

Considering this was the final audition before Neville names that squad for France 2019 it proved a worried start for an XI featuring nine changes from the side that lost 1-0 to Canada in Manchester last Friday.

The Fiver: sign up and get our daily football email.

The good news was that when Scott was booked for a feisty tackle in the 12th minute the narrative began to change.

With Steph Houghton, England’s captain, nursing a groin injury, the elegant Leah Williamson and the no-nonsense Millie Bright were central defensive partners and they seemed to complement each other well, looking reassuringly resilient in the face of that early Spanish dominance.

Moore, finally fully recovered from injury, was at the heart of a side reconfigured into broadly 4-3-3 guise and out to remind Neville why his predecessor, Mark Sampson, invariably picked her for the biggest games.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Beth Mead slides in at the back post to give England the lead in Swindon. Photograph: Jasonpix/Rex/Shutterstock

As England counterattacked, her fine through ball picked out White. As the striker crossed for Mead, Spain’s defence seemed split but the ball flew too close to Sandra Panos, the goalkeeper, and the danger evaporated. No matter; Moore would soon create Mead’s fifth goal in 12 England appearances.

Scott, captain for the night, emphasised her enduring value to this team by increasingly disconcerting Spain courtesy of some intelligent one-twos with Mead, White and Rachel Daly.

Panos had no answer to Mead’s close-range finish following a move initiated by a defence-splitting pass from Moore that found Toni Duggan cutting inside from the left. The Barcelona forward’s ensuing pass was met by White whose low cross was turned in by Mead. Spain complained that White had been offside but a goal that owed much to Moore’s vision stood.

With Ellie Roebuck largely well protected in England’s goal Spain had a problem. As good as they were at ball manipulation, out of possession their defensive positioning left much to be desired.

It was a flaw highlighted at the start of the second half when White volleyed home England’s second. Once again it originated with a stellar Moore delivery. Then came a clever pass from Scott who cued up for White to lash into the top corner and persuade Neville to refresh his personnel. One player substituted was Moore and the hug she received from her coach spoke volumes.

Christine Sinclair hits 180 and condemns England Women to defeat Read more

Substitute Aitana Bonmatí claimed a consolation for Spain after Maria Caldentey beat Daly and Williamson before drawing the substitute goalkeeper Mary Earps off her line.

Newly direct Spain were finishing as strongly as they started with Bonmatí spurning a chance to shoot into an empty net and substitute Keira Walsh blocking a late shot.

“We made that many changes in the second half we lost our rhythm,” said Neville. “I want to see how we’d cope and I was little disappointed with our composure. I’ve rotated, I’ve given everyone a chance. Now I have to be ruthless.”