England have won the Under-17 World Cup after fighting back from 2-0 down to beat Spain 5-2 in Saturday’s final.

England Under-17s became world champions in sensational fashion as Phil Foden’s brace and Rhian Brewster’s eighth goal of the tournament powered the Young Lions to a 5-2 World Cup final win over Spain.

It was a sensational turnaround for Steve Cooper’s side after slipping 2-0 behind in little more than half an hour but they showed endless reserves of energy, enthusiasm and skill as they matched England’s World Cup-winning under-20s in style and avenged defeat to the same opponents in the final of the European Championship.

England have been the dominant force in age-group football in 2017, asserting themselves in a way their senior counterparts have not been able to, and in Manchester City play maker Foden and Liverpool forward Brewster they have two particularly promising talents.

Brewster’s header gave England hope at 2-1 down, Morgan Gibbs-White grabbed the equaliser and from there it was one-way traffic, Foden producing a pair of smart finishes and Marc Guehi on target from close range.

It completes an unprecedented year of success for English youth sides, with Steve Cooper’s under 17s joining the under 20s in standing on top of the world during 2017.

When you add in the under 20 second string retaining the Toulon Tournament and the under 19 side being crowned European champions, there is very definite evidence now that the future is bright for the national team

A sell-out crowd of over 66,000 enthusiastic fans in the Salt Lake Stadium gave this occasion the sprinkling of stardust these young players deserved.

And as soon as the first whistle blew, those spectators were treated to an open, entertaining and end-to-end contest as both teams set their stall out.