England faced the toughest challenge of their FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign against Poland.Having opened the road to Qatar with wins against San Marino and Albania, the Three Lions stood up to the stern test of Poland under the Wembley arch.And although their opponents were without Robert Lewandowski, who is arguably the best player in the world right now, England faced plenty of challenges along the way on Wednesday night.

England vs Poland

Things were all going well during the first-half when England took the lead from the penalty spot with Harry Kane firing down the middle after Raheem Sterling was brought to ground.

However, their advantage was unravelled within the opening stages of the second-half due to a terrible mistake from John Stones that we haven't seen from the Englishman in so long.

In many ways, it was a defensive error that has been so typical of the Manchester City man across his career, but one that runs contrary to his incredible form in the 2020/21 campaign.

Stones' defensive error

His hesitance in possession when England were passing around the box allowed Jakub Moder to pick his pocket and sprint towards goal for a one-on-one opportunity against Nick Pope

The Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder made no mistake, rippling the top corner of the Wembley net, while Stones was left face down on the turf with his teammates. Check out the goal down below:

Chin up, John.

A poor error, but great season

It couldn't be more important to emphasise that Stones' error is completely out of character when you consider the incredible strides he's made at the Etihad Stadium over the last 12 months.

Yes, there presence of Ruben Dias alongside him has certainly made a difference, but make no mistake that Stones has worked tooth and nail to raise his game to the loftiest of heights.

And although his Poland error will bring back unhappy memories for England fans, one can't help feeling that it's merely an occupational hazard as opposed to a symptomatic mistake.

Besides, while you'd be forgiven for thinking the latter of Stones just a few years ago - the 2019 UEFA Nations League, cough, cough - we're talking about a completely different player now.

So, sure, we're not defending what is undoubtedly a terrible defensive error, but we're under no illusion at all that the Stones of old is creeping back into the Stones of now.