England sink Belgium in Nations League thanks to Mount’s lucky break

Gareth Southgate could laud the spirit of his England team and their ruthlessness. The statistics showed they mustered three shots on target and they made two of them count as they summoned a victory over the No 1-ranked team in world football that they hope can provide a touchstone.

The England manager will not kid himself. There remains a lot to do in the search for creativity and attacking cohesion and Belgium departed wondering how they had allowed a position of dominance to slip away, in their first defeat since November 2018.

They led through Romelu Lukaku’s early penalty and, for long spells, they played the more assertive football. But Belgium missed chances, mainly in the first half, and they were left to rue the two decisive moments – a controversial penalty which Marcus Rashford swept home after Jordan Henderson had made a meal out of minimal contact with Thomas Meunier, and a heavily deflected Mason Mount shot that proved to be the winner.

Nevertheless if this had been a major tournament game, rather than a Nations League match, no England fan would have complained about the manner of the victory; they would simply have savoured it. Perhaps, they would also have lauded Henderson for his display of the game’s dark arts.

England finished strongly, with Harry Kane – on as a 66th-minute substitute – glancing wide from a corner and Rashford shooting high after a lovely counterattack with Declan Rice. After a dreadful first half, England were much better in the second period and they could be happy with how they largely blunted Belgium, how they held them at arm’s length.

It was not particularly pretty but this was quite a result and the team will take the confidence boost into their meeting with Denmark on Wednesday and the challenges beyond.

It looked as though Southgate had gone back to the future with his starting lineup. It featured a back three and five survivors from the 2018 World Cup semi-final defeat against Croatia, which would have been seven had Raheem Sterling not been injured and Kane fit enough only to be used off the bench.

Kane had missed most of the week’s training because of muscle fatigue or, to put it another way, cramp.

Southgate had wanted to use the game to gauge England’s level and it was always likely to be a tough task for his players to impose themselves.

Marcus Rashford scores from the spot to equalise for England at an empty Wembley. Photograph: Richard Pelham/NMC Pool

Belgium have been playing in a 3-4-3 system for rather longer than England have and there was a fluency from them at the outset, sharpness about their passing, pace up the channels.

The same could not be said about England in the first half and it was difficult to explain how they reached the end of it at 1-1. Belgium were superior in all departments, pressing cohesively and penning England back. Southgate’s team struggled to get up the field and there were times when it felt like an ordeal.

The opening goal exposed a mismatch in terms of pace between Eric Dier and Lukaku as they chased a ball up the inside right. The Belgium centre-forward gave his man a head start but he hoovered up the ground and he was in control of the situation by the time he entered the area. Dier was unnerved and he seemed to panic, sliding into a challenge that was risky to say the least. He got none of the ball and went into Lukaku’s legs. It was a mess. Lukaku converted from the spot.

Belgium had fired warning shots. Lukaku could not get over a header from a Timothy Castagne cross and Yannick Carrasco had the ball in the net only for an offside flag during the buildup to deny him. After Lukaku’s penalty, Kevin De Bruyne worked Jordan Pickford and Meunier swung a volley past the post.

England fashioned their lifeline out of nothing after Meunier put his hand on Henderson’s shoulder as they jostled at a corner. The stand-in England captain went down, his screams audible inside the empty stadium, and the German referee, Tobias Stieler, felt that it added up to a modern penalty. It is highly doubtful that the contact was sufficient to drag Henderson over; he had done a number on Meunier. Rashford’s penalty was perfect.

The first half ended with Carrasco shooting wide after being released by a lovely Lukaku flick and it was plain that England needed to regroup. They did so. There was greater resilience from them in the second half, with higher starting positions and increased pressure on the ball. Belgium no longer looked as if they could slice through at will and England’s defensive work was more secure. They were more compact and better on the cover.

Mount’s goal came after Kieran Trippier had headed back a deep Trent Alexander-Arnold cross and it contained a slice of luck, his shot deflecting off Toby Alderweireld and looping into the far, top corner. The Tottenham defender had been fractionally slow to close down after Mount had jinked on to his right foot.

Belgium threatened when Carrasco touched wide following De Bruyne’s wonderful outside-of-the-boot pass and Kyle Walker, on the occasion of his 50th cap, twice thwarted Lukaku. England had found a way.