The hype surrounding England's clash with Wales at Euro 2016 was well lived up on a hotly contested battle on a sunny day in Lens.

Indicative of the current incarnation of the Three Lions that manager Roy Hodgson has at his disposal, there were times when his charges looked as if they could play their way through a brick wall.

Until it came to finish off the job.

Real Madrid superstar Gareth Bale hit a stunning free-kick, though questions must surely be asked of Joe Hart, to put the Dragon ahead at half-time.

While hauling both Daniel Sturridge and Jamie Vardy on (and later Marcus Rashford of course) seemed like an obvious move for old Woy, the fact that their opponents looked so dangerous on the counter made it a very bold move indeed.

Largely, it paid off, with the Leicester City ace notching to make scores level after a flurry in the box.

Later, of course, the often injured Liverpool would notch a sensational winner in what is surely the game of the tournament so far.

So, what were the biggest talking point of today's epic encounter?

Joe Hart's foam fingers

Joe Hart has often been seen as the undisputed Number 1 for the country for a number of years now, though his dealing with Bale's free-kick will surely see calls for Fraser Forster to be introduced.

While the Real Madrid man's free-kick was a stunning effort and even having the audacity to try it proved his superstar quality, there's little doubt the Manchester City custodian should have done far better.

Rooney in midfield

Much like against the Russians, Three Lions skipper Wayne Rooney proved to be masterful in the engine room.

Still, as good as his cross-field diagonal balls can look, they are never quick enough.

The whole point in switching play wide is rendered useless in the time is takes to switch the ball, allowing the Welsh side to drop back into play and flood the box.

As good as the 30-year old is on the ball, he surely needs to speed up his distribution in order to make a use of the varied England front-line.

Sturridge, Rashford and Vardy

To bring two of the best strikers in the nation on may seem like an obvious choice for Hodgson, though his going top heavy may well have backfired. Particularly with Gareth Bale lurking.

Still, the trio of Vardy, Sturridge and Vardy completely changed the game.

Though only two scored, the trio kept the ball ticking over in the final third, probing and prodding the Welsh defence at any given chance.