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England's 2020-21 UEFA Nations League hopes ended tonight after losing 2-0 to Belgium at the King Power Stadion in Leuven.
A goal from Youri Tielemans and a sublime free-kick from Dries Mertens in the first half were enough to secure a win for the Red Devils. They can now book a place in the competition's last-four with a point against Denmark on Wednesday.
The Three Lions, who brushed Ireland aside in a friendly win last week, were lacklustre once again. They struggled to create good scoring chances and got just three shots on target out of 16 attempts.
Even though they started the second half on a positive note, Gareth Southgate's men weren't clinical enough to draw level, although Harry Kane forced a nice save out of Thibaut Courtois.
Here are the hits and flops from the match:
Hit: Jack Grealish (England)
Gareth Southgate's decision to start Grealish from the bench in last month's Nations League encounters against Belgium and Denmark left the fans perplexed. However, he finally gave the Aston Villa star a much-deserved spot in the XI on Sunday, and he duly repaid the faith.
Grealish was arguably the best player for England on the night. His high-pressing and passing accuracy causing Belgium plenty of problems. Not only that, but he was marvelous on the ball too, showing off some breath-taking skills to bamboozle his markers. He ended the night with two key passes and 89% pass success, but overall, he was a class act.
Flop: Thomas Meunier (Belgium)
Belgium were really good on the night, not just on the offensive front, but defensively too. They weathered a late storm to hold out England by closing out all the channels and making some crucial blocks.
One key weakness that emerged from the backline though, was Meunier. He looked unsettled in defense and also offered nothing in the way of the attack.
England's Jack Grealish made bunnies out of the Borussia Dortmund full-back, wrapping him up in knots with his sublime dribbling skills. At one point, Meunier tripped Grealish with a studs-up challenge on the edge of the area, which nearly got him sent off.
However, his yellow card means he'll now miss the decisive clash against Denmark. The interesting about that is the Red Devils won't be any poorer for it.
Hit: Bukayo Saka (England)
Having initially started on the England bench, Saka was subbed on for Ben Chilwell in the 38th minute after the Chelsea full-back went off injured. However, he ensured the latter wasn't missed by turning in a top drawer performance.
He oozed tremendous confidence on the ball, while his buccaneering runs down the left flank opened up spaces for the likes of Kane and Grealish to run onto.
The 19-year old's sublime crossing ability carved out some openings from his side of the pitch, while his set-piece delivery also called Courtois into action.
Saka laid more key passes than any English player on the night, while also registering a 94% pass success. He's a deserving starter for the Three Lions and tonight's game must have provided Southgate with more food for thought.
Flop: Kieran Trippier (England)
At this stage, one has to wonder if there's any point in starting Trippier. After a series of poor displays earlier in the Nations League campaign on the left, the Atletico Madrid full-back was back on familiar terrain on the right. However, it made little difference as he continued to be bog-standard.
Southgate's decision to play him as a right wing-back and Kyle Walker, a natural right-back, on the right side of a three-man defense was perplexing to begin with.
Then, when it came to delivering a free-kick in the first half, Mount stood up over it instead of Trippier, who's set-piece prowess is well-known. However, that alone won't be enough for him to keep his spot in the England team and he must quickly improve his performance.
Hit: Dries Mertens (Belgium)
Leaving out both the scorers of the night wouldn't have been appropriate, especially when Mertens scored a superb free-kick. Tielemans, the other player on the scoresheet, was the better performer overall. However, the Napoli star's goal, his 21st for the Red Devils, was truly special and deserves a mention.
Even though the free-kick was won just outside of the box, the angle was tight. De Bruyne is the player you'd normally expect to step up in situations like those, but he let Mertens have a go and the 33-year old made no mistake. He nonchalantly curved the ball into the bottom left corner, giving Jordan Pickford no chance in the England goal.
