Harry Kane insists "it is time" England win a trophy, after his brace against Italy here last night secured qualification for Euro 2024.
After beating the Italians in March in Naples, England did the double over the side who beat them in the Euro 2020 final, booking their place in Germany next summer with a 3-1 victory.
Marcus Rashford scored England's second, while Kane netted his 60th and 61st international goals, and the England captain is confident a trophy may be on the horizon.
"We will be one of the favourites, for sure, and I think recent performances and performances in major tournaments have shown that", said Kane.
"We have come close, and we've had some really good tournaments, but it's time for us to take that next step and win one. That is our goal. There will be a lot of talk from now until then, but ultimately it will come down to us performing when it matters, and hopefully we can do that."
Former West Ham flop Gianluca Scamacca gave the defending European champions the lead last night, before Gareth Southgate's side turned the game on its head to qualify with two games to spare.
"A really important victory against a tough side, and the performance speaks for itself," Kane added. "Even when we went 1-0 behind, we stayed calm, we stayed compact. Then we played our football, and it was too much for them to handle.
"Sometimes we make it look easy, but it's not easy. Over the last couple of years, we've spoken about beating big nations and doing it on a consistent basis. To beat Italy home and away shows where we've come."
Southgate was delighted with the result, which means half of England's victories over Italy in the past 40 years have come within the past seven months.
"The biggest thing for us is the mentality we have," he reflected. "We have to keep winning big matches like tonight.
"We know the games against the top nations are the ones we want to make a step forward with. We have been planning for base camps and things. The days are gone where we didn't do that, in case it brought bad luck. You have to plan as if you are going to be there. I think it was probably the toughest qualifying group."
One of the most assured individual displays of the night came from Jude Bellingham, who picked up where he left off with his new club Real Madrid, where 10 goals in his first 10 games have made the 20-year-old an instant hit at the Bernabeu.
"I keep saying it, but it's his mentality that's the key — he's been a catalyst," said Southgate. "It's a mindset thing, a belief, a drive that he has at such a young age that is the difference. You often see talent, but [he] is a real presence. He has helped to change the profile of the team."
On current form, Bellingham is the best midfielder in the world, according to his England team-mates Harry Maguire and Jarrod Bowen.
Asked whether there is anyone better, Maguire said: "No chance. I've been speaking highly of Jude now for a number of years. For such a young boy to have a head on his shoulders and to be able to deal with it physically, he looks enormous out there, and that's a credit to him.
"I know for a fact that he's humble, and he takes everything in his stride. Jude can do everything. He is going to be a big, big player for England, and I hope he carries on his form at Madrid."
Bowen said: "I don't think there are [any better midfielders]. He was sensational — but everyone was."
