England suffered back-to-back Wembley defeats for the first time in 36 years as Per Mertesacker''s first-half header gave Germany victory. Manager Roy Hodgson once again reshuffled his team as he explores options ahead of next summer''s World Cup in Brazil - but a below-strength Germany followed Chile in leaving with an away win. England enjoyed plenty of possession but the closest they came to drawing level was when Andros Townsend''s long-range effort struck the woodwork after the break. The major bonus for Hodgson in this latest loss was the performance of goalkeeper Joe Hart, recalled after Celtic''s Fraser Forster made his debut against Chile and currently out of Manchester City''s side after being replaced by Costel Pantilimon. Hart was England''s outstanding performer, saving superbly from Mertesacker before his goal and from Marco Reus and Mario Gotze in the second half. It was a night when Hart repaid Hodgson''s public faith in him and confirmed his status as England''s undisputed number one. It could also prove to be a turning point for the keeper as he tries to regain confidence lost over a long spell of indifferent form. Few others on Hodgson''s England undercard made compelling claims to move to the forefront of his thoughts for Brazil as the final whistle was greeted by boos from the Wembley crowd for the second time in a matter of days. And while Hodgson will, understandably, regard this game as another fact-finding exercise rather than one where victory was essential, it was still a sobering night as England barely troubled Germany keeper Roman Weidenfeller. Hodgson''s men struggled against a Germany team missing a host of key players such as Mesut Ozil, Philipp Lahm and first-choice keeper Manuel Neuer. England have one game left, the Wembley friendly with Denmark in March, before Hodgson names his squad for Brazil. They enjoyed plenty of possession in a tight first half - but the contributions that mattered came late in the half and came from Germany.