There were the predicted smattering of early boos for John Terry although they were neither prolonged nor committed.
How ironic though that, on a night when the fans demonstrated their unity and support for the England team, it should be the man they once abused so cruelly who should be England's saviour.
You cannot ignore Peter Crouch. You just cannot. Not just because he is 6ft 7ins tall and has a blond mop which rises above others like a snow-packed peak in the penalty area.
No, it is his tenacity. His composure. His unstinting desire to do his best for his team whatever is thrown at him.
That goes for the jibes which were hurled his way as he used to disrobe his tracksuit on the touchline before he had even kicked a ball in anger under Steve McClaren's reign. Why? Because he was tall and ungainly.
Well, if he comes on to score the winning goal in South Africa they will not be talking about his height.
They will be saluting a man whose goal record is up there with the legends.
When he slid home Gareth Barry's cross after 56 minutes and then Shaun Wright-Phillips's cross after 80 in England's 3-1 victory over Egypt at Wembley it brought Crouch's tally to 20 goals in 37 games for his country. Better than one goal every two matches. That is a striking output which is up there with the best.
And boy did England need it.
The truth is the victory is welcome and the momentum it might provide could be crucial.
But with 100 days and counting to the start of the World Cup in South Africa there were also elements of this performance which were downright worrying.
Wes Brown's sloppy indecision at right back was the most glaring. But there was also a debilitating slip by Matthew Upson which led directly to Egypt's goal from Mohamed Zidan and brought Rio Ferdinand's chronic back problem into even sharper focus.
There was also a hint of the old chestnut which says Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard do not perform at their best in the same midfield.
So what will Capello have learned? One, that Everton's Leighton Baines is no Ashley Cole but he can do a creditable job at left back in his absence. The friendly was worth it just for that.
And also that he cannot now jettison his big striker system.
All through the impressive qualifying campaign Capello had used Emile Heskey as his comfort blanket, playing up front as the target man, taking the pressure off Wayne Rooney. Bringing the best out of England's brightest star.
But the suspicion always was that Capello's preference was for lightning pace and fluid movement. And he proved it, starting with Theo Walcott on the right and Jermain Defoe as his second striker.
Defoe's goals for Tottenham this season are difficult to ignore.
But England's first-half performance only proved what a big call Capello has to make.
Rooney was as industrious and as hungry for the ball as ever, but he did not have the room against Egypt that he has enjoyed when playing alongside Heskey.
True, he did play Defoe in once after 12 minutes but the Spurs man uncharacteristically hesitated and the chance was lost.
Likewise with Walcott. One early darting run saw him pull the ball back for Frank Lampard, only to see the Chelsea midfielder hit the ball straight at Egypt goalkeeper Essam El Hadary from eight yards.
In the main, however, despite Wright-Phillips also getting on the scoresheet, the option of pace did not work.
Much of that had to do with the fact that Egypt are a well-organised, technically-gifted set of footballers.
They have won the African Nations Cup three times in a row and it is one of the game's little mysteries how they will be sitting at home watching the action from South Africa on the television while Algeria, their victors in qualifying, will be there.
They were unhinged only when Capello replaced Defoe with Crouch at half-time. A big one for a little one. And this time not a boo to be heard.
