WHAT THE DR ORDERED...JUST! Brilliant Kane rescues lacklustre England to beat DR Congo and keep World Cup dream alive - 6 talking points

On a night where England needed their leader to step up,

Harry Kane

did precisely that as the Three Lions booked themselves a last 16 date with

Mexico

.

Thomas Tuchel's men

have vowed that performances will improve after a group stage where they eased through without ever really impressing. But for 75 minutes in Atlanta, there was real worry that they could be heading home against a game, tenacious

DR Congo

Brian Cipenga stunned England after just seven minutes, firing in at

Jordan Pickford's

near post when his defence were at sixes and sevens. Then, for so long, Tuchel's men found Lionel Mpasi in inspired form.

But eventually, Kane did what Kane does. Anthony Gordon dug out a cross and the Bayern Munich striker nodded home to equalise. Then a moment of pure centre-forward brilliance, taking the ball when surrounded, finding the space and unleashing a technically outstanding strike which soared into the roof of the net, leaving Mpasi rooted to the spot.

"From now I'm going to call him Sir Harry Kane," said Thierry Henry on CBS in America. "You guys were looking for answers. He by himself was the answer." Which kind of says it all about both England's overall performance and the man who ensured they snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.

Below are six talking points after goal king Kane dug England out of an almighty hole...

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The Powerade-powered stoppages midway through the first and second halves of matches have routinely been met by boos during this tournament at all stadiums.

This was no exception but this time it was the England supporters letting their team know that the opening 22 and a half minutes had been nowhere near good enough. The stats were damning, England not managing a shot on goal before the break - and, of course, also being behind.

When they came out of it, they were much better offensively, managing eight shots, taking charge of the game and creating opportunities.

Jude Bellingham

was brilliantly denied twice before half-time. They just couldn't find a way past Mpasi.

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By all accounts, Djed Spence is the fastest player in the England squad. His athleticism, as much as his versatility, is a big reason why Tuchel included him in the Three Lions squad.

What the

Tottenham

full-back needs to realise is that, using that speed and athleticism isn't only important when attacking or needing to make a last ditch challenge. It is also critical to stopping things at source.

So when Chancel Mbemba is firing 50-yard diagonals from right to left out to the dangerous goalscorer Cipenga, Spence needs to be sprinting out. He's doing his first job, covering the striker with his right-sided centre-half, that's fine. But then he needs to eat up the ground and get out to the wide man and be on him, on his first touch, not let him get a second and third in and build up a head of steam.

It is the one thing that 85-cap ex-England right-back

Gary Neville

can often be heard fuming about more than anything else - full-backs not getting out quickly enough to shut things down. Too often here did England's last right-back standing meander out like on a morning stroll, which at any level, never mind in a World Cup finals, is simply not good enough.

It rather epitomised the defence's lackadaisical first-half display when they conceded one and really should have conceded more - only Yoane Wissa will know how he missed from six yards with the goal gaping.

At half-time Kane's first port of call was referee Adham Makhadmeh. Shaking his head, pointing fingers, the England captain was furious at the decision not to award him a penalty as we closed in on half-time.

Kane was always getting there before the goalkeeper. Axel Tuanzebe was out of the equation, bar a hand in Kane's back, and it was simply who would get to the ball first. England's No.9 knew the answer to that question was him, while Congolese stopper Mpasi did not.

Kane touches the ball away from him and contact was always going to be made between them. But Kane really did embellish it, throwing both legs together and almost stiffening them as he made contact and went down. Simultaneously, it both looked a penalty and looked a dive. That's why opinions were split.

"There is contact, there is no doubt," said Alan Shearer. "For me that is a penalty." Joe Hart added: "I would expect that to be given against me."

But in contrast,

Wayne Rooney

said: "I think he trips himself a little bit and then he jumps into the goalkeeper. Yes there is contact. But it looks like he'd dived into him. It's probably not a penalty."

Certainly, it wasn't clear cut and while England supporters in the stadium couldn't believe the referee hadn't been sent for a second look, you can understand why VAR chose not to get involved.

Tuchel hasn't been happy with what he's got, quality wise, from wide positions during the competition, especially down the left side. It's why Anthony Gordon and

Marcus Rashford

have been chopped and changed. Tuchel has been looking for not necessarily for answers but for someone to step up and produce, with a degree of consistency.

Rashford had his moment against

Croatia

, having initially been left out. That, coupled with Gordon's disappointing display against

Ghana

got him back into the lineup.

But Rashford's end product here wasn't anywhere near good enough and it was little surprise to see he and Noni Madueke - after another hit and miss night - hooked on the hour mark, with Gordon and

Bukayo Saka

- managing an achilles problem - brought in.

Gordon has quality, it's why

Barcelona

moved swiftly to usurp

Bayern Munich

to his signature this summer. And finally he produced a moment at these finals, a fine cross onto the head of Kane who did just enough to beat Mpasi and get England level.

"The strike of a killer marksman. He's got no right to shoot from there. The goalkeeper has absolutely no chance," said Alan Shearer.

When his country needed him, Kane stepped up. Not once, but twice. His second on the night - three touches, control, swivel, bang - means he now has more World Cup finals goals than Pele with 13, and is level this tournament with

Erling Haaland

on five, one behind Kylian Mbappe and

Lionel Messi

on six. It was a brutal, thumping, ruthless effort. Everything we need England to be more this tournament.

"What a centre forward he is," said Shearer, a man who knew a thing or two about being a No.9.

As long as Kane is fit and the Three Lions are getting that ball into him in and around the penalty area, England will always have a chance.

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Prior to this evening's encounter, England had never won a World Cup match when trailing at half-time. Nine games, two draws, seven defeats.

Well, thanks to captain fantastic, they have now.