England player ratings

David Beckham led England to a famous victory

BBC Sport Online's Howard Nurse rates England's players during the thrilling 1-0 win against Argentina.

Do you agree with our verdict?

David Seaman
Kept busy early on and saved well from Batistuta. Always handled the ball cleanly and still England's number one keeper.

Danny Mills
Got forward impressively and was helped out by the back-tracking Beckham. Showed no nerves following his Sweden blunder.

Rio Ferdinand
Defended supremely when called upon and held the back line together impressively. Calmness personified.

Sol Campbell
Tackled strongly and made a vital block to deny Zanetti as Argentina pressed for an equaliser. Dependable when called upon.

Ashley Cole
Booked for taking out Ortega, showing an over-keeness when tackling. Always looked bright going forward.

David Beckham
Struggled to find his range early on, but kept his cool to score from the penalty spot. Almost made it 2-0 and looked much fitter.

Owen Hargreaves
Suffered an early injury on the back of his calf. Bravely kept going until being forced to limp out of the action.

Paul Scholes
Influential midfielder forced a fine stop from Cavallero with a stinging 35-yard volley. Always involved in the heart of midfield.

Nicky Butt
Sent Owen clear when England hit the woodwork. Seemed to be all over the pitch showing great vision and tenacious tackling. Superb.

Emile Heskey
Grew in stature and provided able support for Owen in a more familiar central role. Foolishly booked before going off.

Michael Owen
Unlucky to hit the post, the livewire striker was tripped by Pochettino to earn England's penalty. Should have made it 2-0 after the break. Replaced late on.

---

Substitutes:

Trevor Sinclair
(Replaced Hargreaves, 20 mins) Confident early run on the left caused problems. Looked comfortable in his best England display so far.

Teddy Sheringham (Replaced Heskey, 56 mins) Almost scored instantly with a rocket shot and narrowly wide with a back-header. Showed his value to the squad.

Wayne Bridge (Replaced Owen, 80 mins) Given a late run out to bolster the left side of midfield during the closing stages.