England 2-1 Belgium: Player Ratings as Three Lions Secure Impressive Win Against World Number One
England went top of their UEFA Nations League group by securing an impressive 2-1 win over Belgium at Wembley.
The visitors thought they had opened the scoring through Yannick Carrasco inside ten minutes, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside. Minutes later, the Red Devils did score with Romelu Lukaku smashing home a penalty following a clumsy tackle from Eric Dier.
England then levelled things up with a penalty of their own, scored by Marcus Rashford. After the break, the Three Lions then took the lead when Mason Mount's shot deflected past Simon Mignolet with 25 minutes left to play.
Here are 90min's player ratings for the two sides...
England
1. Goalkeeper & Defenders
Jordan Pickford (GK) - 6/10 - Not a lot of evidence of this incredible distribution that is apparently keeping him in the team. Also flapped at a few crosses. Why is Nick Pope not first choice again?
Kyle Walker (CB) - 7/10 - Seeing him playing as a centre-back was a nice throwback to the summer of 2018. He looked pretty good as well.
Harry Maguire (CB) - 7/10 - A lot better than his last Premier League game...which isn't saying much.
Eric Dier (CB) - 6/10 - Completely embarrassed by Lukaku for the game's opener. Is he sure he wants to be a centre-back?
2. Midfielders & Wing Backs
Trent Alexander-Arnold (RWB) - 6/10 - Once again he looked suspect defensively, struggling to contain Timothy Castagne.
Jordan Henderson (CM) - 7/10 - Lasted just over an hour and was comfortable. His return will be a huge boost for Liverpool.
Declan Rice (CM) - 6/10 - Solid if entirely unsensational display.
Kieran Tripper (LWB) - 6/10 - Didn't do too badly in an unfamiliar left sided role. Why he started over Bukayo Saka is a mystery.
3. Forwards
Mason Mount (RW) - 7/10 - Shoehorned into a wide right role and struggled to impact the game. Moved left and scored immediately - albeit with the help of a massive deflection.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin (ST) - 5/10 - Starved of service. Was improving in the second half before being replaced by Kane.
Marcus Rashford (LW) - 7/10 - Emphatic penalty. Was the most consistently dangerous of the hosts' front three.
4. Substitutes
Kalvin Phillips - 6/10
Harry Kane - 5/10
Reece James - N/A
Jadon Sancho - N/A
Belgium
5. Goalkeeper & Defenders
Simon Mignolet (GK) - 5/10 - Rarely called into action. Nothing he could do about England's goals.
Toby Alderweireld (CB) - 5/10 - Should have got tighter to Mount for England's second.
Jason Denayer (CB) - 6/10 - The best of Belgium's back three. Always looked composed and strong in the air.
Dedryck Boyata (CB) - 6/10 - Did fine, but marginally outshone by Denayer.
6. Wing Backs & Midfielders
Thomas Meunier (RWB) - 5/10 - Started brightly before giving away a silly penalty. Massively underwhelming after the break.
Axel Witsel (CM) - 5/10 - A bit of a passenger to be honest. Everything was a little bit too safe.
Youri Tielemans (CM) - 6/10 - Saw a lot of the ball playing a deeper role than the one he's used to at Leicester. Did not do a great deal in possession.
Kevin De Bruyne (CM) - 8/10 - The best midfielder on the pitch by some margin. Drove his team forward and made some excellent passes. The Red Devils fell apart when he went off.
Timothy Castagne (LWB) - 7/10 - Brilliant in the first half, caused Alexander-Arnold all sorts of problems with his relentless runs forward.
7. Forwards
Romelu Lukaku (ST) - 7/10 - Imperious throughout. Even with three centre-backs, England struggled to contain the Inter man.
Yannick Carrasco (ST) - 5/10 - Thought he had opened the scoring early on, only to be denied by a dubious offside flag. Spurned a great chance that denied De Bruyne one of his all time best assists.
8. Substitutes
Yari Verschaeren - N/A
Jeremy Doku - N/A