SVEN GORAN Eriksson last night hailed his England side's resilience after they grabbed a stoppage-time winner for the second game in a row.

Three months after Michael Owen's last-minute strike accounted for Argentina, Joe Cole's last-gasp goal ended the spirited resolve of another set of South American opponents, Uruguay.

The dramatic denouement did not disguise the deficiencies apparent in a largely underwhelming England display but, after Omar Pouso's sensational opener had given Uruguay the lead, the hosts' second-half revival underlined their battling qualities.

Four years ago, Eriksson's side did not score a single second-half goal as they crashed out of the World Cup at the quarter-final stage. Now, they are making a habit of leaving it late before turning defeat into victory.

"We did it against Argentina and now we've done it against Uruguay," said Eriksson. "It's a very good thing to be able to do. We didn't score a goal in the second half of our five games at the last World Cup finals - now we are doing that.

"Winning games like that gives you confidence and a winning mentality. We have the fight and the belief we can win against good teams like Argentina and Uruguay.

"Even when it gets to the last minute, we know we can still win the game. That's an important thing to have when you are going to a World Cup finals."

Cole's stoppage-time winner capped an impressive performance that will have all but cemented his place in Eriksson's starting line-up for England's World Cup opener against Paraguay.

Despite suggestions he would substitute any player still involved in the Champions League, the England boss opted to leave Cole on the field in the latter stages and was ultimately rewarded for his obduracy.

"I thought Joe Cole was the best player on the pitch," said the Swede. "He's a mature player now and he knows when to dribble and when to pass.

"He defends as well, which a lot of people fail to notice. He spent a lot of time in our box defending.

"I said I might rest some players for 45 minutes if they were playing in the Champions League, but Joe Cole is not playing every game for Chelsea. Sometimes, when he does start a game, he is not finishing it.

"It is good for him to play 90 minutes. It is a different situation to the one with Steven Gerrard and John Terry - they are always on the pitch but Joe is not."

Eriksson was also impressed with Crouch's contribution after he came off the bench to replace the strangely subdued Wayne Rooney in the 64th minute.

The Liverpool striker is rapidly emerging as England's third-choice striker and Uruguay's defenders struggled to deal with his unique aerial threat.

"Peter showed he is important to us," said Eriksson. "He scored and was involved in a lot of things, just as he was when he came on against Argentina.

"He is different to any of the other strikers we have got. When he came on, we didn't even use him as often as we could have done. We had chances to put more crosses in the box, but chose to come inside instead.

"When the ball comes up to Peter Crouch, it is almost impossible to defend against him. That is something we have to learn how to use."