His spectacular strike against Panama was by some distance the best goal that England have scored at this World Cup. Against Sweden, he provided the assist for Dele Alli's goal and was impressive throughout, having more shots and completing twice as many dribbles as any other player on the pitch.
Lingard's ability to retain possession fits well with Southgate's style of play. His pass completion rate of 93.4 per cent ranks him second among midfielders to have made at least three starts at this World Cup. He gets the ball, gives it to a team-mate and keeps moving. He has found his niche. "The formation suits us perfectly," said Lingard recently.
That has been evident in Lingard's performances in Russia. He covered more ground than any other England player in the matches against Tunisia, Colombia and Sweden. The only reason he did not do so in the win over Panama as well was because he was withdrawn midway through the second half. While on the pitch, he outran everyone.
Against Colombia, he covered an astonishing 15.4 kilometres - more than a kilometre further than anyone else. He was well clear of the rest in the Sweden game too. The tracking data shows that Lingard spent the lowest percentage of time moving at speeds below seven kilometres per hour of anyone on the pitch - he was perpetual motion.
Given his work rate, Lingard could have been forgiven for tiring as the game wore on. Instead, that is the time that he seems able to exploit the tiredness in others. With five minutes left, he was winning back possession in the Sweden half. In stoppage time, Lingard was the one who was running with the ball at his feet when the referee blew for full-time.