England extended their perfect qualification campaign for the 2026 World Cup on Thursday evening, beating Serbia 2-0 at a soaking wet Wembley Stadium.

With their place in next summer’s tournament already confirmed, this game was a chance for England’s players to make their case to Thomas Tuchel, who resisted the temptation to put Jude Bellingham back into the starting XI, sticking with Morgan Rogers in the No 10 role.

Heavy rain and an understandable lack of jeopardy made the first half a bit of a trudge, enlivened by an excellent finish from Bukayo Saka on 28 minutes which put the hosts 1-0 up.

Tuchel made a quadruple substitution on 65 minutes, bringing on Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Jordan Henderson and Eberechi Eze — and it was Bellingham, Foden and Eze who combined to make it 2-0 in the 90th minute, the Arsenal forward rifling in impressively from the edge of the penalty area.

Jack Pitt-Brooke and Rob Tanner analyse the key storylines from the game.

How much strength-in-depth do England have?

So much of the pre-match attention was about Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden, two players who had not been in recent England squads but were brought back for this one. Neither of them started tonight, Tuchel preferring to stick with players who had performed well recently, but they both came on — along with Eberechi Eze and Jordan Henderson — 20 minutes into the second half.

Bellingham looked smooth and authoritative, gliding forward through pressure, finding a team-mate or creating an attack. It was a reminder of how good he is. Foden darted around in his new false nine role and should have done better with a header from a Henderson cross. Eze played wide on the left and skipped past defenders at will.

(Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

The three men combined for a glorious second goal: Bellingham competing for the ball and finding Foden, who drove forward and found Eze, who finished into the far top corner.

It was a beautiful goal and a reminder of how good all three are. The question is how many of them get to start the game in Albania on Sunday.

Jack Pitt-Brooke

Has Nico O’Reilly made a case to be England’s left-back?

Much of Tuchel’s squad may be set in stone, but there are still some gaps that need filling, most notably at left-back.

Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly is the latest option Tuchel is considering. The 20-year-old has had a superb introduction at senior level under Pep Guardiola and now he has stepped up with England.

His debut will give Tuchel another option and he could become the wildcard to start the finals next summer in that left-back berth.

(Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images)

O’Reilly seems to have all the attributes you’d want in an international footballer. He has a great physique and is athletic, but he also seems to have a top-class temperament. Nothing seems to faze the youngster, which is a valuable trait to have when stepping into the cauldron of a World Cup.

If he can continue his form this season for club and country, he could cement himself into Tuchel’s side and shore up what has been a problematic position for England.

Rob Tanner

Elliot Anderson impresses once again

Having qualified for the World Cup, England are heading into the finals full of optimism and expectation. There is nothing different about that. The weight of the England shirt has always been heavy.

But there is something different this time. England have traditionally always preferred a certain type of midfielder: the box-to-box, dynamic, goalscoring do-or-die guy in the middle.

England have been blessed with them down the years and even tried to shoehorn three into the same side during the 2000s when Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes were in their pomp.

What they haven’t been blessed with in the past, and other top nations have – think Luka Modric’s match-winning display in the World Cup semi-final against England in 2022 – is a playmaker who can control the tempo and be the conduit at the heart of the team.

(Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

In Elliot Anderson, England now seem to have that key player — and they don’t just have one. Adam Wharton, who came on as a late substitute in this game, is another who has emerged and looking down the England age groups, there is evidence that the academy system is breeding these types of technical midfielders… finally.

Currently in Qatar, England’s Under-17s are vying for the world crown and they have Manchester City’s Harrison Miles playing such a role. Control is key at the top level of international football and England may finally have found a way to maintain it.

Rob Tanner

Saka underlines his reliability

This was always going to be a difficult night because of the heavy rain throughout and a Serbian defence determined to make things difficult.

England needed to be technically precise to find a breakthrough. And so they were once again grateful to have Bukayo Saka in the team, who swept England into the lead after 28 minutes.

England had successfully pinned Serbia back into their own box but they were waiting for one moment of quality to break them open. And that came when Nico O’Reilly’s shot from distance flew out to Saka, at an angle on the right, and he volleyed it perfectly past Predrag Rajkovic and in.

(Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Up to that point, Saka had been England’s most dangerous player. Sometimes he would try to run in behind left-back Aleksa Terzic. Sometimes he would cut in from the right and try to curl one with his left foot, just like the goal he scored against Wales here last month. But he was always a threat and Serbia never knew quite how to handle him.

Tonight was a reminder that he will be as important as anyone if England are to achieve anything next year.

Jack Pitt-Brooke

What did Tuchel say?

The England manager was pleased with the impact his substitutes made. “We wanted to have quality and impact and new energy from the bench, which we got. Everyone was there to have an impact.

“This is not about building a starting XI, it’s about building a team. Sometimes (players) are disappointed (not to be picked), this is normal, but they buy into the team.

“Only a strong team can put disappointment behind them, put ego behind them, it’s the only way. It’s the right energy, treating everyone with respect. We need everybody fully involved mentally to accept matchday decisions.”

He singled out Phil Foden for praise, after the Manchester City player came on and assisted England’s second goal.

“It was a good match for Phil. With Phil, you see he is full of confidence. He is feeling light, he is a joy to watch, you could tell from his first touches on the pitch.

“He can play anywhere but I like to have him in the centre of the pitch, having connections with other players, and he did well. It’s a big task to challenge Harry (Kane), whose finishing ratio is out of this world.

“I wanted to see Phil close to his opponent’s box, in traffic, surrounded by a lot of players, and he did excellently. In matches where we need to unlock an opponent, he can always be a choice.

“It’s an opportunity but I have some other options in mind. (Ollie) Watkins, (Danny) Welbeck, more No 9s, also very different to Harry. It will come down to who’s in shape… and against which opponent.”

(BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images)

What next for England?

Sunday, November 16: Albania (away), World Cup qualifier, 5pm UK, noon ET