Steven scored his second England goal in a 5–0 thumping of the USA in Los Angeles at the conclusion of the summer tour. Everton again challenged for First Division and FA Cup honours. In January 1986 he scored the opening goal in a 4–0 win over Egypt in Cairo and continued to be selected as the World Cup neared. He played as England thrust aside Paraguay in the second round but in the quarter final, with England 2–0 down against Argentina, he was sacrificed midway through the second half by Robson to give Barnes his first run-out. Barnes single-handedly destroyed the Argentine defence but could only set up one goal and England were eliminated. The next year saw him settled back into a dominant Everton side, which regained the League title with some panache. He also played a full part in a robust qualification campaign for the 1988 European Championships. By the time the tournament came round in the summer of 1988, Steven had a healthy 22 caps.