Butt puts another tackle in on Aimar (Allsport)

By Damian Spellman, PA Sport

Sven-Goran Eriksson's lionhearts turned from zeroes to heroes in the space of 90 nerve-wracking minutes as England gained their revenge over arch-rivals Argentina.

To a man, Eriksson's troops battled their way past one of the pre-tournament favourites to clinch a deserved victory and wash away the bitter memories of their Swedish disappointment.

Their shape was just right, the effort and commitment magnificent, and when it came to the crunch, the big players did not let their country down.

STARS

Nicky Butt was outstanding in the heart of the England midfield, acting as both destroyer and creator for an hour and then, when he was running purely on heart and will to win, dug deep to keep Argentina out.

Remarkably, for all the pressure Argentina piled on to their opponents, David Seaman had few genuine saves to make, but the one he produced to keep out Mauricio Pochettino's 77th-minute header was key to his side's victory.

Skipper David Beckham may have had one of his quieter games in an England shirt, but after Michael Owen put his pace to good use to win the crucial penalty, he held his nerve to smash the spot-kick past Pablo Cavallero.

DEFENCE

England defended as a team in two banks of four with the frontmen also tracking back for much of the game, but the quartet handed the task of keeping Gabriel Batistuta and company in their sights were excellent.

Sol Campbell lost Batistuta just once to allow him a header at Seaman's goal and although Pochettino caused problems from set-pieces, he and Rio Ferdinand headed out virtually everything that came their way as the South Americans became increasingly desperate.

Ashley Cole did well to survive an early examination from the dangerous Ariel Ortega which cost him a booking, but stuck at it and was grateful for the help he received down the left when Wayne Bridge was introduced as a late substitute.

But it was Danny Mills, the villain against Sweden, who stood out as he grew in stature the longer the game wore on, keeping out substitute Claudio Lopez as Argentina peppered his flank with a series of long balls.

MIDFIELD

Owen Hargreaves' early injury forced Eriksson into a reshuffle, but ironically, it worked in England's favour as Paul Scholes and Butt resumed their club partnership in the middle with Beckham and Trevor Sinclair adding width.

All four men worked desperately hard to deny their direct opponents, and succeeded to such a degree that Juan Sebastian Veron and Kily Gonzalez were substituted.

Scholes produced a good save from Cavallero with a well-struck volley, but all four men deserve enormous credit for the work they did to initially deny Argentina space and then, when they started to tire, to remain defiant in the face of an onslaught.

Argentinian substitute Pablo Aimar was introduced at half-time and orchestrated his side's fightback, but it was all a case of too little, too late.

ATTACK

Freed from the chains of a midfield role, Emile Heskey revelled in the chance to remind onlookers that he is a striker by trade, and his power, pace and aerial ability were a feature of England's first-half display.

Owen's speed is his side's most dangerous weapon, and he used it to good effect, first to hit the post with a snapshot and then to win the penalty which was to prove decisive.

He might have helped himself to a goal after the break when he shot across Cavallero but wide of the post, but by the time he made way for Bridge with 10 minutes remaining, his job was done.