WHEN Hungary were initially invited to play a World Cup warm-up game against England, they were supposed to be the first visitors to the new-look Wembley.

A botched building job soon put pay to that idea but, on the evidence of last night's friendly at Old Trafford, Sven-Goran Eriksson's own rebuilding work looks far more impressive than the Football Association's attempts to construct a new national stadium.

Steven Gerrard marked his debut in the Wayne Rooney role with his seventh goal in an England shirt and provided a welcome distraction from the endless talk about the stricken striker's foot.

Jamie Carragher performed capably in the holding role - although Hungary's lowly status should not be overlooked - and Peter Crouch proved he can offer a potent threat from the bench by scoring England's third goal six minutes from time.

Ultimately, though, it was one of Eriksson's corner-stones that proved the foundation for the win.

David Beckham's star has faded since he single-handedly drove England to the 2002 World Cup finals with a sensational one-man display against Greece.

But by providing the crosses that enabled Gerrard and John Terry to score within five minutes of the re-start, the England skipper suggested that he could yet be the star of the show in Germany.

Eriksson has displayed an unexpected penchant for change recently - Beckham clearly intends that, when it comes to the national side's pecking order, his pre-eminence is going to remain unaltered.

On the evidence of last night's display - an exuberant throw-back to the days when the right touchline at Old Trafford was his natural terrain - he certainly intends to prevent Gerrard stealing his crown.

Eriksson has identified the Liverpool midfielder as the man to fill the gaping hole left by Rooney and, as his stirring display in the FA Cup final proved, Gerrard certainly possesses the shooting ability to make a success of his new role.

On the evidence of his 47th-minute opener last night, he also possesses enough ability in the air to trouble opposition defenders who fail his track his well-timed runs into the box.

And, while he is not quite a like-for-like replacement for the mercurial Rooney, his boundless energy means he is able to make the lung-bursting runs that have come to characterise the Manchester United striker's displays for the national side.

One such burst underlined Gerrard's abilities in the ninth minute. Balazs Molnar might have made up enough ground to halt his run on the edge of the penalty area, but the 30-yard run that preceded the Hungarian centre-half's challenge suggested Gerrard was not afraid to instigate an attack on his own.

Carragher had also settled into his new role by that stage, breaking up play and releasing Beckham within the opening 19 seconds, but as the evening wore on, the limitations of England's new formation also became apparent.

Michael Owen, being asked to play with his back to goal for large periods of the game, looked ill-suited to the lone striker role.

The Newcastle forward has never looked particularly comfortable when playing up front by himself, and his diminutive stature meant England's defenders found themselves searching for an outlet whenever they were in possession of the ball.

Possession was conceded cheaply as a result and, with Owen struggling to win things in the air, it was the visitors who created the first meaningful opening of the game.

Szabolcs Huszti out-muscled Owen in the 22nd minute and whistled a 25-yard drive narrowly wide of Paul Robinson's right-hand upright.

It wasn't much of a chance, but it was still a marked improvement on anything England had been able to muster to that point.

That was to quickly change, however, when Beckham produced two dazzling crosses that should have led to a breakthrough before half-time.

The first was met with a fine close-range header from Owen that Crystal Palace goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly did superbly to keep out, only for the resultant scramble to end with Csaba Feher hacking down Gerrard in the box.

Frank Lampard drilled his spot-kick low to Kiraly's right, but the Hungarian made a second impressive save to palm the penalty away.

The quality of the stop was deserving of a slice of luck, and it came when an unsighted Owen could only direct his headed rebound against the top of the crossbar.

Perhaps a sharper striker would have found the target, but perhaps it was just not meant to be England's night.

It certainly seemed that way two minutes later when Joe Cole glanced another pinpoint Beckham centre against the far post. Even when the rebound looked like looping in, the ball spun invitingly enabling Laszlo Eger to clear, albiet via his own crossbar.

But the home side's fortunes changed within two minutes of the re-start.

Beckham was again the instigator, with the skipper's arcing right-wing cross enabling Gerrard to power an unstoppable header into the bottom left-hand corner.

There was a time when Beckham's place in the side was being questioned following a string of under-whelming displays - not any more.

As if to underline his continued importance to England's chances, the national captain duly delivered his side's second goal as well three minutes later.

His whipped free-kick caused confusion in the Hungarian defence, owing Terry to evade his marker and glance a close-range header past Kiraly.

That should really have been that in terms of the game as a contest, but Hungary struck back with a goal of their own in the 55th minute.

Substitute Owen Hargreaves was caught out of position as Balazs Toth found Pal Dardai, and the midfielder duly curled a precise 25-yard drive past a helpless Paul Robinson.

Theo Walcott, who became England's youngest-ever international when he replaced Gerrard, provided a glimpse of his potential when he burst down the right-hand side shortly after his introduction.

And it was another replacement, Crouch, who sealed the home side's victory six minutes from time.

Receiving the ball from Joe Cole, the Liverpool striker pivoted on the spot before drilling an inch-perfect low finish into the far corner of the net