But when Manchester City man Milner was fouled by France's Manchester United defender Patrice Evra, Lescott exacted swift punishment by heading home Gerrard's free-kick from close range.
The former Manchester City man made amends in the most spectacular style possible in the ninth minute.
The Manchester United man's cheeky backheel sealed the points for England after Olof Mellberg's brace for Sweden had threatened to derail their more illustrious opponents.
The Manchester United man had earned victory over Northern Ireland on Saturday with a curling free-kick and produced another fine effort to hit the back of the net.
BBC: SPORT | Football | Internationals | Wales 2-0 Azerbaijan
The former Manchester City man had the option to shoot for himself, but spotted Mulgrew in a better position, and the full-back picked his spot in the bottom corner past Nicky Weaver.
There seemed to be little on when a Jordan Henderson clearance fell to Richardson just inside his own half, but the former Manchester United man spotted Campbell's run, splitting the Villa defence with a prodded through-ball.
One South African man said he travelled to Manchester because he "couldn't miss this for the world".
However, players voted for the PFA award at the end of January, and the six-man shortlist is dominated by Manchester United players.
Former Manchester City midfield man Elano split Wes Brown and Matthew Upson with a glorious pass and Nilmar arrived to direct a header beyond Foster.
She decided to walk the 40 miles back to her home town along the motorway but was picked up by the side of the road by a man who took her to Manchester.
The match finished with a cheeky solo effort by Juninho, who again capitalised on loose man-marking by the Manchester defence to squeeze off a shot from the top left edge of the area that beat Bosnich at the right post.
The family were treated at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport, Greater Manchester, where the man later died.
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Greater Manchester Police said the man was held in London but his arrest was "only one line of inquiry".
New signing Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs were among a 22-man squad that flew out from Manchester to Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.
Manchester United's landmark man completed one of the most sensational achievements in modern-day football in Moscow on Wednesday.
The man in charge of fighting terrorism in Manchester has also been honoured by The Queen in the list.
"Games are a great way to engage people because everyone knows what they are, " said Alex Lang of the Manchester hacking collective Hac:Man.
Spurs could just be unsettled but if I was a betting man I would still go with them meeting Manchester United in the final.
Striker Bellamy hinted in build-up to the game that he could quit football if he fails to make club team Manchester City's 25-man squad for this season.
Dr Sulaiman Al Fahim, the man behind the Abu Dhabi United Group takeover of Manchester City, was revealed as the purchaser on the club's official Web site.
The Archdiocese of Liverpool covers the Liverpool side of Merseyside, the south west of Greater Manchester, West Lancashire and the Isle of Man.
But questions remain as to why a man accused of plotting to blow up targets in central Manchester will be tried in America.
Police divers in Greater Manchester are searching for a student and a local man who went missing on New Year's Day.
Born in 1887 near Manchester, he was a frugal, humble, humorous man, who was lonely in spirit rather than always solitary in fact.
Rooney is joined on the four-man shortlist by Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas, Chelsea striker Didier Drogba and Manchester City ace Carlos Tevez.
Greater Manchester Ambulance Service said crews were called to the airport following reports that a man had injured his back.
There were rumours England might turn to Owen Hargreaves, the man Barry replaced in the team in September 2007, but a knee problem has restricted the Manchester United midfielder to only one minute of first-team football in 19 months.
The 44-year-old man managed to get out of his car before it was hit by a Hull-to-Manchester train.
BBC: Snow and ice leads to travel delays and school closures
From wearing his wife's underwear to parading around in a sarong, the former Manchester United, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain man has never been one to shy away from experimentation.
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