England player ratings vs Mexico: Bellingham shines, Quansah sent off & Pickford shows quality

England just pulled off one of their grittiest knockout victories in recent history, surviving a hostile Estadio Azteca to edge co-hosts Mexico 3-2.

Under Thomas Tuchel, this team showed a resilient spine that historical England squads completely lacked.

Playing almost the entire second half short-handed, the Three Lions booked a date with Norway in the quarter-finals.

England Players rating vs Mexico

An absolute titan. While he couldn’t do much about Julián Quiñones’ close-range blast or Raúl Jiménez’s clinical penalty, his two world-class saves late in the game preserved the win.

Deservedly sent off in the 54th minute following a VAR review. His reckless challenge completely derailed what should have been a comfortable cruise.

Shaky in the first half against cross-heavy pressure, but grew into a defensive warrior once England had their backs to the wall.

Stepped up beautifully. When tactical adjustments forced him out to right-back following the red card, his 1v1 lockdown defending was flawless.

A true baptism of fire at left-back. The Manchester City youngster had his hands full early on but nearly scored an absolute beauty when he hit the post.

Booked in the opening sixty seconds, which forced him to play on a tightrope. He lacked his usual bite but anchored the low block effectively late on.

Kept the engine room ticking over under intense high-altitude exhaustion before being sacrificed for defensive reinforcements.

A truly iconic performance. His quickfire double inside two minutes completely stunned the arena. He even made a miraculous goal-line clearance. Easily one of the best players at the World Cup.

His brilliant dynamic run and perfectly weighted cross set up Bellingham’s opener. He was unfortunately subbed off early to accommodate structural repairs after the red card.

Terrific pace and directness. His relentless driving runs consistently terrified Jorge Sánchez and crucially won the decisive second-half penalty.

Held the ball up masterfully when England downsized to 10 men. He showed ice in his veins to hammer home his penalty, though he later conceded one at the other end.

England showed their defensive quality against Mexico

Historically, an England squad down to 10 men in a hostile Latin American stadium melts away.

Tuchel’s pragmatic tactical flexibility is exactly why the FA hired him.

As noted by The Guardian, England logged just 33.2% possession, their lowest since 1966, but their defensive structure was a masterclass in survival.

If they can clean up the disciplinary errors, this group has the steel to go all the way.