Three things Gareth Southgate got right as England sweep Wales aside to dump them out of the World Cup

Three things Gareth Southgate got right as England sweep Wales aside to dump them out of the World Cup,Daily Star Sport has run through the things Gareth Southgate got right and wrong in England's emphatic 3-0 win over Wales as the Three Lions confirm top spot in the group

Three things Gareth Southgate got right as England sweep Wales aside to dump them out of the World Cup

England will face Senegal for a place in the quarter-finals of the World Cup after storming to a 3-0 victory over Wales in their final group match.

Goals from Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden split the teams, with the Three Lions turning on the style in the second half following a drab first 45 to dump Wales out of the tournament.

Gareth Southgate gambled for the first time in Qatar after naming four changes from the sides that started against both Iran and USA last week, and below, we've run broken his performance down.

Here are the three things we feel Southgate got right one one thing he got wrong. Starting with what he got right:

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Finally starting Foden

Foden sparkled in his first start at the tournament, a grabbed a goal for his troubles too (Image: Getty Images)

Fans had been clamouring for it all tournament and finally, mercifully, they were given what they wanted tonight.

Foden didn't exactly set the world alight, but his industriously creative performance will give Southgate a bit of selection headache for Senegal tie, especially with the Manchester City prodigy grabbing a goal for his troubles.

In spite of the stubborn Welsh defence, Foden opened up pockets of space with clever passes, neat movement and a dash of creative magic that few players in the world can offer up. Expect plenty of "We told you so"s after this.

Should Foden and Rashford start against Ecuador? Let us know what you reckon in the comments section below.

Faith in Rashford

Rashford's spectacular free-kick opened the scoring for England (Image: Getty Images)

Rashford went into the game as most supporters' fourth or possibly even fifth-choice forward, but after grabbing two stunning goals tonight there's no way Southgate will be able to justify leaving him out of the Senegal game.

His stunning second-half free-kick broke the deadlock – relieving fans of the painful prospect of another dreary 0-0 – and he grabbed a second shortly after by dancing his way into the box and smashing the ball under Wales keeper Danny Ward.

Given the abundance of attacking talent Southgate had at his disposal, starting Rashford was definitely a risk, but you can't argue with results, can you?

Deciding not to rest Kane

Kane was England's best creator all evening (Image: Getty Images)

Nothing short of a career-threatening injury would stop Harry Kane from wanting to play so it's little surprise that a swollen ankle didn't keep him out of the Wales clash.

It was the right call in the end by Southgate, with Kane acting as England's key creative outlet until he was eventually subbed off, dropping deep and fluidly linking midfield and attack to pry open Wales' stubborn backline.

His pin-point cross to find Foden at the back-post for England's second goal was demonstrative of his recent transformation into arguably the world's most all-round, multi-faceted striker, and although he still hasn't got on the scoresheet at this World Cup, no one should underestimate how central he's been to everything England have done well so far.

And now, one thing Southgate got wrong:

Henderson over Mount

Jordan Henderson ran around a lot, but didn't offer all that much going forward for England (Image: Phil Harris / Daily Mirror)

Mason Mount might be England's ultimate Marmite player, but there's no denying Southgate's side could've done with his creativity and incisiveness from the get-go tonight.

Jordan Henderson offered plenty of energy, but struggled to break down Wales' stubborn defensive line, and felt like a bit of spare part seeing as how much possession England had.

It didn't exactly matter in the end, but given that England's breakthrough came from a set-piece, you could argue it was a decision that very nearly backfired, and if Mount had to be rested, surely James Maddison was the obvious replacement, especially in a game like this.