With Jude Bellingham & Harry Kane, anything is possible! Winners & losers as Three Lions secure genuine chance of Euro 2024 glory with comfortable Italy victory

After being stunned by Scamacca's early opener, England were reeling for much of the first half. Luckily, their golden boy had the character to drag his side out of their slump.

Bursting into the box from midfield in a fashion we've grown accustomed to since his big-money transfer to Real Madrid, Bellingham was brought down by Gianluca Di Lorenzo, with referee Clement Turpin pointing straight to the spot.

Immediately after Kane had converted from 12 yards, the Stourbridge-born teenager pleaded with the Wembley crowd to step up the noise. He knew this was just the start.

Early in the second half he looped the ball over an opponent and burst from midfield yet again, before finding Rashford in fine fashion and creating the space his team-mate needed to score with an intelligent run. He even started pulling out humiliating flicks and feints once England were ahead. An utterly fearless performance from an irresistible footballer and personality.

Poor old Sterling. After being shockingly left out of Southgate's squad despite a pretty electric start to the season with Chelsea, he could have done with his direct rival, Rashford, having a tough night.

But the Manchester United man, who's been in poor form at club level, would not play ball, scoring an excellent goal in the second half to further cement his place in his international manager's good books.

It's a blow for Sterling's hopes of starting at the Euros, but all he can focus on in the short term is continuing what he's been doing at Stamford Bridge. Do that and he'll surely be back battling Rashford for a spot on the left in the November international break.

Southgate has made a habit of backing his most trusted lieutenants through shaky spells of Premier League form. But even by the England boss' lofty standards of forgiveness, selecting Phillips against Italy was a bit of a shock.

The midfielder has barely played a competitive game since joining Manchester City in summer 2022 and looked a little rusty to start out under the Wembley lights, picking up an early caution for a sloppy challenge.

Phillips was principally tasked with filling the gaps vacated by the buccaneering Bellingham, though he find himself higher up the pitch when the Three Lions went man-to-man in their press.

Look, he wasn't perfect, but he didn't need to be. All that was required tonight was to show Southgate he can still do a job, as it's pretty clear that the manager wants to start him this summer - particularly with the Jordan Henderson saga showing no sign of dying down.

A January escape from his nightmare City spell would be welcomed, but even if he does stay at the Etihad, coming away from Tuesday's game it was hard to imagine Phillips not playing a significant role at Euro 2024.

If Tomori doesn't laugh, he'll cry. The former Chelsea man showed tremendous courage when he opted to move to Italy back in 2021.

Since then, he's done everything he can to force his way into Southgate's plans, starring for an AC Milan side that won Serie A in his first full season at the club before reaching the Champions League semi-finals last campaign.

And yet, against Italy, he wasn't even named in the matchday squad. He watched on as Maguire - a player who's been so far off his best for so long - started another game from the Three Lions.

Nketiah had a weaker case for inclusion, with Ollie Watkins making the most of his opportunity against Australia. However, with Ivan Toney returning to the fray in January, the Arsenal man might have a decision to make over his international future soon; he is also eligible for Ghana.

Bellingham may be the new, shiny toy that everyone is getting (understandably) excited about, but England fans should not forget how blessed they are to possess a captain as brilliant as Kane.

Has he even got better since joining Bayern Munich in the summer? Perhaps.

This was your typical Kane performance, featuring a picture-perfect penalty, an emphatic one-on-one finish and some of the best link-up play money can buy.

What was particularly exciting was just how well he blended with Bellingham. Kane loves to drop off and this provided his younger team-mate with the space to dart in behind a flat-footed defence.

They almost functioned like an old-fashioned striker pairing, and if England's men's side are to finally end their trophy drought, this well-matched duo will be pivotal.

When Italy's line up boomed out over the Wembley loudspeakers, few England fans would have been particularly worried.

This Italy team, still rebuilding after failing to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, just doesn't carry that fear factor - and Spalletti has a tough job on his hands returning them to their rightful place as one of Europe's top international sides.

His task isn't made easier by the betting scandal that developed swiftly in the hours leading up to the game, which may see Sandro Tonali sidelined for some time. Nicolo Fagioli has already been handed a seven-month suspension and there's even some suggestion that more players could be dragged into the investigation.

It's not a good time to be Italy manager right now, but if anyone can turn it around, it's a miracle worker like Spalletti.