England continued their perfect start to their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign by beating Ukraine 2-0 at Wembley on Sunday evening.
After a tricky start to the game, Gareth Southgate's side established a commanding half-time lead thanks to goals from Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka. England failed to add to their tally in the second half, as Brentford striker Ivan Toney made his international debut.
England have now picked up six points to give themselves a great chance of reaching next summer's tournament in Germany, with their next game against Malta pencilled in for June 16. The Three Lions defeated Italy 2-1 in Naples in their opening qualifier.
Here are the main talking points from Sunday evening's game...
Mad for Maddison... at last
Luke Shaw's red card against Italy forced to Southgate to bring in a new left-back against Ukraine. Despite being a right-back by trade, Kieran Trippier was expected to get the nod - but it was Ben Chilwell who was picked for his first England start since November 2021.
The big shock was the inclusion of James Maddison, who last played for England more than three years ago. Often viewed as the forgotten man, the Leicester playmaker has forced his way back into Southgate's plans by scoring nine goals and providing five assists in the Premier League this season. Maddison will be hoping to remain part of the squad.
England's scrappy start
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Heading into Sunday evening's game, there were fears of an upset. England are far from guaranteed to reach Euro 2024 after being pitted against Malta, Italy, Ukraine and North Macedonia in their qualification group. The latter three teams all qualified for Euro 2020.
Ukraine also boasted a good record against England prior to Sunday evening, picking up five points from their last three qualifiers. A fast start would have relaxed the hosts, but they were kept at bay thanks to niggling fouls. It was a frustrating start for England.
Kane steps up... again
For a while, it seemed as if Ukraine's hard work would pay off. Yet Kane was in the mood. England's skipper was sharp throughout the first half and almost found the net when Maddison picked him out, but he failed to hit the target from an offside position.
Kane got his goal in the 37th minute. Standing around 30 yards out, the Tottenham striker picked up the ball with his back to goal and switched the play to Saka.
He then stormed into the box and got in front of his marker to tap in Saka's perfect delivery. Kane, with 55 international goals to his name, has put that miss against France firmly behind him.
Saka's only 21?
England took charge of the game in the 40th minute thanks to a moment of magic from Saka. The Arsenal winger picked up the ball around 25 yards from goal, turned his marker - the unfortunate Mykola Matviyenko - and curled an effort into the top corner... simply sublime.
Within a flash, Ukraine's plan was left in tatters. Saka celebrated in typical fashion, strolling over to the corner flag before producing his trademark smile. There have been some outstanding English youngsters in recent years, but Saka might just be the best of the lot.
Mudryk vs Walker
The big battle ahead of Sunday evening's game was between Chelsea speedster Mykhaylo Mudryk and Manchester City veteran Kyle Walker. It was a tough task for Mudryk, as Walker kept Kylian Mbappe in his back pocket for much of the World Cup quarter-final.
Walker won the first race, but Mudryk won the second - with the offside flag coming to the defender's rescue. Although Mudryk made a bright start at Wembley, he was hooked in the 61st minute with Ukraine two goals down. It was another disappointing show for the Chelsea winger, who has failed to score in the league since his £88million move in January.
Southgate's sigh of relief
Southgate would have been filled with dread when England were handed their nightmare qualification group, but those concerns have been eased slightly by his team's superb start. Although there is still a long way to go in this campaign - eight games to be precise - the Three Lions could have easily failed to win both of their opening qualifiers.
Yet England passed their March test with flying colours. They need to finish in the top two of Group C to reach Germany, which will seem even more likely if they beat Malta in Attard and North Macedonia at Old Trafford in June. All eyes are now on the summer.
