ENGLAND 4 LITHUANIA 0

FOR 71 minutes, a night that was supposed to be all about Harry Kane was taking an entirely different course. England, with Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck dovetailing superbly in attack, were swatting aside Lithuania as they continued on their serene passage to next summer’s European Championships.

Then, in the space of 79 seconds, English football’s newly-emergent force seized control of the script and rewrote it to his own ends. Even Roy of the Rovers might have needed at least a couple more minutes to make such a powerful impression.

With his third touch in international football, Kane headed Raheem Sterling’s cross into the Lithuanian net despite the despairing efforts of goalkeeper Giedrius Arlauskis. The goal completed a 4-0 rout that leaves England six points clear at the halfway stage of qualifying, with a perfect record of five wins from five. It also cemented the notion that Kane, a 21-year-old riding the crest of a quite remarkable wave, can do no wrong.

He will almost certainly be involved again when England return to action for a friendly in Italy on Tuesday, but whatever else happens in a career that remains in its infancy, he will never forget the night when he completed his transition from promising junior to fully-fledged goalscoring international.

His goal capped a fine night for England’s forward players, with Rooney, Welbeck and Raheem Sterling also getting onto the scoresheet as the Lithuanian back four was repeatedly ripped apart.

Welbeck was the provider for Rooney’s sixth-minute opener, a goal that took the England skipper to within one of Gary Lineker and two of Sir Bobby Charlton’s all-time goalscoring record, before heading home himself on the stroke of half-time.

Sterling added a third goal as England continued to dominate in the second half, and Roy Hodgson’s decision to stick with the attacking triumvirate that has played through most of qualifying was justified.

For all that Kane is the man of the moment, with last night’s header taking him to 30 goals for the season, it would have been extremely harsh to leave Welbeck out of the side. Six minutes in, and as much was readily apparent.

Rooney had already gone close to breaking the deadlock at that stage, having raced on to Fabian Delph’s fourth-minute flick over the Lithuanian defence, only to roll his side-footed effort against the left-hand post from a position where he should really have scored.

He was more clinical two minutes later, although his seventh goal in England’s last seven matches owed much to the invention of his strike partner, Welbeck.

Having slipped the ball through the legs of the Lithuanian skipper, Tadas Kijanskas, Welbeck darted into the area and drilled in a fierce strike that was parried by Arlauskis. Rooney, following up in the manner of a natural predator, stooped to head home the rebound from eight yards.

Strangely, Rooney and Welbeck never really gelled in Manchester United colours, although the presence of Robin van Persie meant they were rarely paired as orthodox forwards. Their relationship in England colours could hardly have been more productive since the World Cup finals, and they combined again to positive effect midway through the first half.

Welbeck, who switched flanks with Sterling throughout the game, refused to give the ball up on the right of the area, and his cross from the byline was perfectly weighted for Rooney, who had backed out of the six-yard box.

The skipper’s header was angled adroitly towards the far corner, but the ball rebounded off the crossbar. Less than 20 minutes in, and with a couple of inches difference, Rooney might already have been level with Charlton’s record.

He clearly enjoys dovetailing with Welbeck’s tireless running, and while the Arsenal striker can occasionally frustrate because of a lack of composure, his performances for both club and country this season have hinted at a growing maturity.

He came close with a curled shot that crept over the crossbar towards the end of the first half, and claimed the goal his bright display deserved in first-half stoppage time.

Wearsider Jordan Henderson swung over an inviting cross from the left, and Welbeck twisted to angle in a header that found the net via a hefty deflection off Kijanskas.

The goal capped an impressive first-half team performance that drew an appreciative response from a capacity Wembley crowd, with the sell out belying the suggestion that support for the England team is dwindling.

The uncompetitive nature of Group E can hardly be enthusing the fans, so it appears as though as least some of the post-World Cup frustration is lifting, with the gradual emergence of a new-look side offering a modicum of hope for the future.

Delph and Henderson are increasingly influential members of that side, with the former’s tidiness in possession enabling England to hold on to the ball for prolonged periods – admittedly against limited opposition – while the latter’s energy and thrusting runs into the box ensure the forward players are not isolated in the final third.

Any growing optimism should be tempered by an acknowledgment that it has been practically impossible to learn anything new about England’s defenders from the current qualifying campaign, and the nagging thought remains that more talented opposition could still have a field day against a largely immobile and cumbersome back four.

Phil Jones’ selection ahead of Phil Jagielka hardly inspires confidence given his struggles for Manchester United this season, although to be fair to the centre-half, he produced the one key defensive intervention of the night from an English perspective, blocking off Deivydas Matulevicius when he appeared destined to meet Vytautas Andriuskevicius’ cross on the edge of the six-yard box.

Lithuania lived down to their status as the fourth-ranked team in the group all night, with their defensive limitations repeatedly exposed and their attacking forays into the England box extremely limited.

Their goalkeeper, Arlauskis, made fine saves at the start of the second half to deny Delph, who dispatched a crisp volley from Rooney’s cross, and Welbeck, who drilled in a ferocious near-post drive.

However, the visitors’ resistance cracked again in the 58th minute, with Sterling scoring his first goal in an England shirt at the 14th time of asking. Rooney whipped in a low cross from the right, and Sterling stole ahead of his marker to turn the ball home.

That looked like being that until Kane finally made it onto the field after a lengthy spell standing on the touchline. Less than a minute-and-a-half later, and the night reached its climax.