Dan Burn hailed 'brilliant' as his eyecatching stats from England win vs Mexico revealed

Newcastle United defender Dan Burn proved his selection for England as they saw out a 3-2 win against Mexico at the Azteca on Monday to reach the World Cup quarter-final.

Goals from Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane saw the Three Lions through, even after they played almost the entire second half with 10 men following Jarell Quansah's red card.

Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez scored for the hosts, who had not conceded a single goal in their opening four games.

Burn was brought on to shut up shop for the final 15 minutes and the 11 minutes of stoppage time, ending the game with the joint-most defensive contributions on the pitch.

The 34-year-old was an unpopular choice when it was announced that he would be in Thomas Tuchel's squad to go to the World Cup.

But the Newcastle man's cameo performance was worth its weight in gold, as England saw out their slender lead with their backs to the wall.

Paul Robinson hails Dan Burn

Burn's inclusion in Tuchel's squad was made all the more surprising by the fact that he did not have a particularly strong season.

The defender made 44 appearances across all competitions for Newcastle, but endured a second half of the campaign littered with mistakes.

It has become clear that Tuchel took the six ft 7 in giant for a specific reason, however, and it was on full show on Monday.

With England needing to put everything on the line to protect their lead in a difficult situation, Burn was a wall at the back.

The 34-year-old made two blocks and six clearances in his time on the pitch, winning every aerial duel he contested.

"Brilliant from the big defender, Dan Burn. Brave as a lion," Paul Robinson remarked on BBC 5 Live.

Burn makes staggering history

Should England be in that position again, even if its with 11 men on the pitch, they can be sure to bring Burn on to be that magnet for opposition crosses.

With his six clearances, the Newcastle defender wrote his own piece of history.

According to Opta, six clearances is the most made by a player subbed on that late into a World Cup game since records began in 1966.

Even if England do not go all the way, Burn can come away from the tournament with his own record to be proud of.