It was a night when England wanted to impose themselves as an attacking force, after the frustration of their 1-0 defeat here against Brazil on Saturday, and they did. There was a goal from the penalty spot for Ivan Toney on his full debut and a virtuoso performance from another player making his first England start – the fearless 18-year-old Kobbie Mainoo.
On this evidence, and what Mainoo has shown since breaking into the Manchester United team in November, the midfielder has made a serious case to gatecrash Gareth Southgate’s squad for the European Championship finals this summer.
Jarrod Bowen advanced his claim, too, with his best performance in an England shirt while Phil Foden was a constant threat. So, much to like for Southgate and in addition there was the fighting spirit that drove England until the very end.
Now for the bad bits. There were extreme levels of profligacy, Jude Bellingham a culprit, Foden as well, while there were two horrible blunders from a defence that was the definition of makeshift. It looked to have pressed England towards an undeserved defeat.
The first concession was a personal disaster for the goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford, who erred with a clearance, while the second stemmed from a Lewis Dunk miskick. Youri Tielemans punished England on both occasions. And yet Southgate’s team refused to wallow.
It ought to have been over in the 92nd minute when Belgium surged forward on the break, England caught cold. Jérémy Doku played the final pass and there was Dodi Lukebakio, on as a substitute, with only Pickford to beat. He fired high.
England’s pulse was faint. The four additional minutes would expire. And yet there was one last surge, Dunk winning a header, James Maddison, on as a substitute, heading forward for another replacement, Ollie Watkins, to chase to the byline. Somehow, the Aston Villa forward retrieved the ball, which allowed Maddison to craft a lovely cut-back and there was Bellingham. The midfielder had fluffed two gilt‑edged chances but now he took a touch to steady himself before guiding home with a cool sidefoot.
Southgate had wanted a statement victory against a high-ranking opponent, the focus having fallen on his record against the very best after the Brazil defeat. Against the eight highest-ranked European teams (taking in Croatia) along with Argentina and Brazil, he had won eight and lost 12 of 28 matches. The manager did not get his wish here but it almost felt like a win, especially after what had happened at the outset.
Southgate was without three of his favoured back four – Kyle Walker, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw – and the set was complete after 10 minutes when John Stones felt something twang, having taken a poor touch and stretched in a bid to rectify the situation. How did it feel, he was asked, as he departed Wembley? “Not sure yet,” Stones replied. A penny for Pep Guardiola’s thoughts before Manchester City v Arsenal on Sunday.
England’s start went from bad to worse when Pickford sent a routine clearance straight at Amadou Onana, who fed Tielemans. With Pickford tearing back towards his goal, left to right, Tielemans cleverly shot back for the goalkeeper’s left-hand post. The execution was low and clinical.
Southgate needed a quick response. He got it and the delight was that Mainoo provided the spark, the X-factor. Everybody knows by now about Mainoo’s ability to drop his shoulder and turn sharply in the opposite direction, leaving his marker for dust. Knowledge is one thing; prevention another.
He bamboozled Tielemans with the move before finding Bellingham and he slid in Toney, who had broken behind Jan Vertonghen. The Belgium defender, who was winning his 154th cap, was never the favourite to win the ball when he lunged and, once Toney went to ground, he was already thinking about the penalty. He had a long wait but it did not faze him. Nothing does in this situation. Two paces back, one big step forward, intimidation with the eyes for the goalkeeper: 1-1.
Bowen had showed up from the first whistle, full of smart skill and positive, direct running. After Doku had worked Pickford, Bowen thought he had his first England goal after Dunk headed back a Foden corner. He turned home but the VAR spotted he was offside.
Mainoo’s quick feet and drive were a joy while Toney linked the play well. England enjoyed a purple patch and they ought to have led on 34 minutes when Mainoo robbed Onana only for Bellingham to curl high.
The sucker punch duly arrived. Dunk got across to deal with a Tielemans long ball but then he stretched and missed his kick, allowing Romelu Lukaku to get on it. The Roma forward’s outside‑of‑the‑boot cross was a beauty; Tielemans converted with a diving header.
Foden had started on the left but he had plenty of licence to drift inside, which he took – running with the ball, putting Belgium on their heels. Toney twice went close after the restart while Foden saw a shot blocked.
Bellingham must have feared he would rue his second miss – a misdirected free header – and Bowen worked Matz Sels.
So did Mainoo, while Foden dragged wastefully wide. It felt as though Lukebakio’s terrible late miss would not matter. Bellingham ensured it did.
