Jude Bellingham rescues England with last-gasp equaliser against Belgium

Jude Bellingham scores England’s equaliser in stoppage time at Wembley against Belgium. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

It was a night when England wanted to impose themselves as an attacking force, after the frustration of Saturday’s 1-0 defeat here against Brazil, and they did. There was a goal for Ivan Toney on his full debut from the penalty spot 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. Jarrod Bowen advanced his claim, as well.

In addition to it all, there was the fighting spirit which saw England go until the very end. It had felt as though profligacy would be their enemy and blunders within a makeshift defence, Southgate’s team conceding two completely avoidable goals.

The first was a personal disaster for 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 at the death, with the four minutes of stoppage time up, Jude Bellingham answered the call.

The midfielder had earlier blown two massive chances. But after one substitute, Ollie Watkins, retrieved the ball for another, James Maddison, to pull back, there was Bellingham to shoot home unerringly.

It was worth going over who Southgate was missing at kick-off, and it began with three of his favoured back four – Kyle Walker, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw. The manager could count all four just 10 minutes in after John Stones felt something twang, having taken a poor touch and immediately stretched in a bid to rectify the situation.

In midfield, there was no Trent Alexander-Arnold while Jordan Henderson was fit enough only for the bench. From the front three, there was no Bukayo Saka or Harry Kane. It was not ideal and England’s start went from bad to worse when Jordan Pickford sent a routine clearance straight to Amadou Onana, who fed Tielemans.

With Pickford tearing back towards his goal, left to right, Tielemans cleverly shot to the goalkeeper’s left-hand post. The execution was low and clinical.

On the touchline, Southgate called for calm but he needed a quick response. He got it and the delight was that Mainoo provided the spark, the X-factor. Everybody knows by now about his 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 passing to Bellingham and he slid in Toney, who had broken behind Jan Vertonghen. The Belgium defender, 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 would have a long wait but it did not faze him. Little 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 on the right-wing, full of smart touches and positive running; he almost teed up Toney with a cross in minute one. And, after Jérémy Doku had worked Pickford, Bowen thought he had his first England goal after Dunk headed back a Phil Foden corner. Bowen turned the ball home but the VAR spotted he was offside.

England enjoyed a purple patch. Mainoo was prominent – ice in his veins, his quick feet and drive a joy – while Toney linked the play well. They ought to have led on 34 minutes when Mainoo robbed Onana as Belgium tried and failed to build from the back, the ball breaking for Bellingham. He seemed certain to score only to curl high and it was the preface to a sucker punch.

Leandro Trossard picked his way through traffic in his defensive third to find the outstanding Tielemans, who sent a diagonal towards Romelu Lukaku, although Dunk was the favourite to get there first. The Brighton defender did not, stretching and missing his kick, allowing Lukaku to get on it and sculpt a beautiful outside-of-the-left-boot cross for Tielemans, who had continued his run. The midfielder stooped to guide home a diving header; another excellent goal.

Southgate had started with Ezri Konsa at right-back only to move him into central defence when Stones was forced off; Joe Gomez came on at right-back. It was not a huge surprise that Southgate’s experimental blend did not look secure. Doku menaced with his pace on the counter.

There was encouragement for England further forward. Foden had started on the left but he had plenty of licence to drift inside, which he took – pushing with the ball at his feet, putting Belgium on their heels. England advertised the equaliser upon the second-half restart. Toney twice went close, drawing a save out of Matz Sels on the second occasion while Foden saw a shot blocked by Zeno Debast.

Bellingham was guilty of another glaring miss, sending a free header wide from a Gomez cross and England continued to pour forward. It was all them. Bowen flicked at Sels while Mainoo was also denied by the goalkeeper.

Foden would drag wide on 79 minutes when well placed after another fine Bowen run and when the Belgium substitute, Dodi Lukebakio, missed a glorious chance on the counter in stoppage time, it did not seem to matter. Bellingham ensured that it did.