Scott Parker came through 90 minutes unscathed as England completed their competitive preparations for Euro 2012 with a second consecutive 1-0 victory, this time at the expense of Belgium.

Like last weekend’s win in Norway, the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder joined captain Steven Gerrard in the centre of the park and the pair were instrumental in their side producing another structured and disciplined performance that suggests they will be hard to beat in Poland and Ukraine.

Parker’s Spurs team-mate, Jermain Defoe, got his first run out under Roy Hodgson, coming on as a 66th-minute replacement for Ashley Young, and the striker did his prospects no harm at all, going close to scoring a second when he hit the far post with a cross shot.

The decisive goal though, came in the 37th minute when Young’s slide rule pass released Manchester United team-mate Danny Welbeck and he netted his first international goal in fine fashion, clipping the ball over the keeper from the left side of the penalty area.

Parker was booked seven minutes before the goal, ironically for a foul on Jan Vertonghen, who is expected to join him at White Hart Lane from Ajax.

Having played against Norway, West Ham’s Robert Green dropped back to the bench as number one keeper Joe Hart returned between the posts.