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| Daniel Sturridge headed home his eighth England goal |
Gareth Southgate took a significant step towards being appointed England's full-time manager and intensified the pressure on Scotland counterpart Gordon Strachan in the process with a comfortable World Cup qualifying win at Wembley.
Southgate knew victory would press his claims to succeed Sam Allardyce on a permanent basis - and England delivered with a display that was unconvincing but easily enough to beat Scotland.
Daniel Sturridge's stooping, instinctive header from Kyle Walker's driven cross put the hosts ahead after 24 minutes and Liverpool team-mate Adam Lallana did the same from Danny Rose's delivery five minutes after the break.
James Forrest and Robert Snodgrass missed opportunities for the visitors before Lallana added England's second - and Gary Cahill's 61st-minute header from Wayne Rooney's corner only increased Strachan's agony.
England now top Group F while Scotland languish in fifth, with their hopes of qualifying for the 2018 tournament in Russia fading fast.
Match Highlights
England's interim manager deflected all talk about his future in the build-up to this qualifier - but he will know he is effectively in an impregnable position after this win against a very average Scotland side.
Southgate's biggest supporters would be hard-pressed to suggest this performance hinted at a golden future for England, but it is surely enough to earn the 46-year-old the chance to plot the way ahead to the next World Cup.
He was under a little pressure after a poor performance in the goalless draw in Slovenia, but this was just what he needed - in result terms at least - and it is now surely only a matter of time before his appointment is confirmed, irrespective of the result of Tuesday's friendly against Spain at Wembley.
It was almost impossible to find an optimistic Scot at Wembley before kick-off. Sadly, their worst fears were confirmed as the pressure mounts on Strachan.
The combative 59-year-old was subjected to heavy criticism after a draw at home to Lithuania and a 3-0 loss in Slovakia even before this latest reverse.
There was no lack of heart or effort from Scotland, but there is quite simply a lack of quality in their squad, reflected in the eight changes he made here, to no avail, in an attempt to find a spark.
Strachan may ask, with some justification, if anyone else could do better with what he has at his disposal, but whether the Scottish Football Association and Tartan Army agree is another matter.
England are now in a commanding position and should have no problems reaching the World Cup from this point, but they are still a work in progress.
This was a convincing victory margin, but the worry remains that the defence would be seriously troubled by quality opposition.
Scotland missed two chances to level before England extended their lead through Lallana, while some of their attempts to play out from the back looked like an alien concept to Southgate's players.
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| Lallana's header was expertly guided into the corner and put the game beyond doubt on the night. The Liverpool man played 42 passes in all, completing 88% as he was often at the heart of England's good attacking work. |
However, the result, England's position in the group, Lallana's growing maturity and the clinical manner in which they took their opportunities were all positives.
What the managers said
England manager Gareth Southgate: "What I'm really pleased is that I was given the task of picking the job up in a very difficult situation for everybody and I feel like we've prepared the team really well. I've enjoyed that.
"The rest is out of my hands. I've loved it. I've really enjoyed the role. I've enjoyed the responsibility. I've enjoyed the challenge of every part of it."
Scotland manager Gordon Strachan: "That's what you get from world-class players, I'm afraid, when you're on the other side.
"I'm really down for the lads in a way, but proud of them in what they tried to do. I do feel for that group in there. That wasn't fair."
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