Gareth Southgate needed this. England needed this. And after all the focus on the squad’s misbehaving players, on what Southgate had called the off-field “circus”, how gratifying it was to see a cohesive performance and a clutch of dream-come-true moments.
There was a debut goal for Dominic Calvert-Lewin, which embossed an assertive display from him, and first England goals for Conor Coady and Danny Ings on the occasions of their second and third caps respectively. Both were beautifully taken. Coady’s joy knew no bounds.
