Lee Carsley's bold decision to change his team's formation produced England’s best performance of the tournament, with the team holding off Spain to secure their place in the semi-finals of the Under-21 European Championship. They will face the Netherlands on Wednesday.

Prior to the tournament, James McAtee opted to participate in the European Championship instead of joining Manchester City at the Club World Cup. He had struggled to find his form in the group stages, but all that changed in the 10th minute.

An Alex Scott corner from the left fell kindly to the diminutive playmaker, who made no mistake from six yards. The celebrations following the goal spoke volumes, conveying a sense of exhilaration and relief.

These were magnified five minutes later. Jarrel Quansah moved forward with purpose before taking a shot that split the defence, with Alejandro Iturbe unable to stop it. Elliott was quickest to react and poked the ball home to double England’s lead.

England looked renewed and revitalised after their barren run in front of goal in the group stage. Here, they were clinical and dynamic.

With 20 minutes to go, it was Spain’s game, as England looked to hold on to their lead. Removing Elliott and McAtee for more defensively minded players only reinforced that.

With time running out and Spain throwing numbers forward, England had two chances to shoot, but neither player was able to find the target.

At the other end, England’s most experienced player at this level, Charlie Cresswell, was a titan in defence, heading away cross after cross. After McAtee’s substitution, he wore the captain’s armband with pride.

Anderson, another second-half substitute, added the icing on the cake to a challenging but rewarding night for England. He slotted home the penalty won by Jonathan Rowe to send his side to Bratislava for a semi-final clash with the Netherlands on Wednesday.