The 10 best England team performances in the Premier League era

#3 England 1-0 Argentina – World Cup 2002: Group Stages

Sven-Goran Eriksson’s young England team were drawn in what was labelled the ‘Group of Death’ at the 2002 World Cup.

They were facing off with Sweden, who England had never beaten in a competitive fixture, Nigeria, and old rivals Argentina, who had notoriously eliminated England from the tournament four years earlier following a colossal game that ended in a penalty shoot-out.

England were gunning for revenge, but this was an Argentina side who were named one of the pre-tournament favorites for a reason. Even in a pre-Messi era, their depth of talent was frightening, with the likes of Diego Simeone, Javier Zanetti, Juan Veron, Gabriel Batistuta and Hernan Crespo amongst the team.

England were without first-choice stars like Gary Neville and Steven Gerrard, and captain David Beckham wasn’t fully fit following a pre-tournament injury. After a 1-1 draw with Sweden in their opening fixture, this looked like trouble for Sven’s men.

Instead, it turned out to be trouble for the Argentines. The likes of Trevor Sinclair and Nicky Butt, men who were seen as second-rate replacements, rose to the occasion in a way nobody expected them to.

Sinclair terrorized Argentina down the left side following his first-half introduction for the injured Owen Hargreaves, and Butt practically bullied Simeone and Veron in the center of the midfield.

Beckham pulled the strings from the right, ensuring England retained much of the possession, and right before half-time their aggressive approach paid off.

Michael Owen, whose pace was scaring Argentina as it had four years prior, drew a penalty from Mauricio Pochettino and Beckham slammed it down the middle to give England the lead.

The second half saw no further goals, although England could’ve extended their lead through Owen and Teddy Sheringham, while Argentina also missed chances as the likes of Sol Campbell and Rio Ferdinand defended bravely.

In the end, the Three Lions came away with the victory and Argentina went home following their failure to beat Sweden in their next game.

It might not have been a knockout win, but England left their old rivals on the canvas in this game, which remains their best performance in a major tournament since the turn of the century.