England player ratings: Bellingham inspired as Gordon provides much-needed spark but Quansah makes Three Lions sweat

ENGLAND pulled off a heroic 3-2 win against hosts Mexico at the Azteca with ten men to book a quarter-final clash against Norway. The Three Lions were inspired by a brace from Jude Bellingham, who grabbed his first with a superb diving header after a perfectly-timed cross from Bukayo Saka. And he could hardly miss with his second moments later as he tapped home from Harry Kane‘s square ball. Mexico pulled one back just before half time as Julian Quinones thumped into the roof of the net from close range. Jarrell Quansah’s red card gave England an even tougher task to hold on to their lead – but Kane then netted from the spot moments later after Anthony Gordon was brought down. SunSport’s Lloyd Canfield has given his verdicts of the England team after their impressive win in the early hours of Monday morning. READ MORE ON THE WORLD CUP Jordan Pickford – 8 Pulled off a remarkable save to deny Raul Jimenez early on, and followed that up with several solid stops as he tied level with Peter Shilton for England World Cup appearances. Jarrell Quansah – 5 Sent off after a VAR review for a dangerous challenge on Jesus Gallardo, which changed the game, but was fairly solid up until that point. Maybe if England are lucky, it’ll be overturned like Folarin Balogun‘s? WORLD CUP 2026 FREE BETS AND SIGN UP OFFERS Ezri Konsa – 8 Made plenty of blocks and clearances at the back for England and dealt well with Jimenez for the most part, stepped up particularly well at right-back when England went down to 10 men. Very strong in the air. Most read in Sport Marc Guehi – 6 Lost his man in Quinones at a set-piece which allowed Mexico back into the game, but improved after that and made plenty of important ball recoveries. He looked better with Stones next to him at the back. Nico O’Reilly – 7 Struck the woodwork for the second time in this tournament with a volley that would’ve been England’s finest of the summer. Stood firm against Alvarado on the right in Mexico. Declan Rice – 7 Playing through injury, he picked up an early yellow but managed to walk the tightrope brilliantly and kept England nice and composed in the middle of the park, excellent at holding onto the ball with England under pressure. World Cup 2026 - all the info The knockout stages of the World Cup are hotting up as we head towards the business end of the tournament. England believe football might finally be coming home after 60 years of hurt, with Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham on fire. But the likes of France, Spain and Argentina are all serious contenders to go all the way. Heavyweights Germany, Netherlands and Brazil have all been knocked out. LATEST NEWS - Match report: England 3 Mexico 2 - England fans go wild in pubs around the country - Henderson rushed to hospital after suffering freak injury - England and Mexico benches erupt in furious brawl - Ronaldo makes bombshell retirement announcement - Neymar, 34, RETIRES from international football after Brazil defeat KEY INFO - World Cup 2026 full match schedule including kick-off times - World Cup 2026 full squads - World Cup 2026 rule changes - World Cup 2026 prize money VIDEO - Proper Football Daily: Get all the expert analysis each morning - Team Talk – Tactics Exposed: Dive into the tactical talking points TIPS AND BETTING If you click a link in this article, we will earn affiliate revenue. Elliot Anderson – 7 Aggressive and physical in midfield, he was the first to close down any Mexican midfielder and made more recoveries than any England player. An air of N’Golo Kante about his display. Bukayo Saka – 7 Crossed brilliantly to set up Jude Bellingham’s diving header and worked incredibly hard defensively when England were under pressure before being sacrificed for John Stones when Quansah was sent off. Jude Bellingham – 9 Two goals in as many minutes sent the England fans delirious; his diving header was a finish that will become iconic. He might not wear the armband, but it was a captain’s performance from the England number 10, who can do it all. Anthony Gordon – 8 Flashes of his excellent technique were on display, particularly when he troubled Rangel in the opening moments after skinning his fullback. Certainly “pounded the rock”, as he would say, with his brilliant direct running and speed. Harry Kane -8 Set up Jude Bellingham before converting his high-stakes penalty expertly with England down to ten men, which massively reduced any England nerves. His hold-up play was strong, and he did his bit defensively too, until he mistakenly gave Mexico a penalty that got them back into the game. SUBS JOHN STONES (BUKAYO SAKA, 57) 8 DAN BURN (ELLIOT ANDERSON, 75) 6 DJED SPENCE (NICO O’REILLY, 75) 7 MEXICO: Rangel 6, Sanchez 6 (Fidalgo 6), Montes 4 (Alvarez 7), Vasquez 5, Gallardo 4, Mora 5 (Gutierrez 7), Lira 6, Romo 6 (Gimenez 6), Alvarado 6, Jimenez 7, Quinones 8 (Martinez 5)