Friday 9 October 2015 23:34, UK
England made it nine wins from nine games with a dominant 2-0 victory over Estonia at Wembley on Friday night.
Theo Walcott opened the scoring just before half-time and then Raheem Sterling doubled the lead late on after good work by substitute Jamie Vardy.
Here we pick out just some of the talking points as England continue their preparations for Euro 2016…
Is Rooney still the main man?
England's captain is now his country's top scorer and was presented with a golden boot by the man whose record he broke, Sir Bobby Charlton. Even so, there was excitement ahead of this game at the prospect of a forward line with youthful exuberance on its side. Not least because we rarely get to see what an England team would look like without him.
The statistics highlight Rooney's dominance during this qualifying campaign. Before this game, he had played the most minutes of any outfield player and created more chances than anyone. As well as being his team's top scorer, he'd had 22 shots on target. Prior to Friday, Danny Welbeck was the only other player to have had more than four.
Can Kane lead the line?
However, his replacement Harry Kane was not entirely convincing and failed to add to his England goal tally. "This is a big opportunity for him," said manager Roy Hodgson before the game. "With Wayne out, he's in pole position." But while Kane worked hard, this was not the young striker at his fluent best.
And so, while two of England's front three got on the scoresheet, it's unlikely that Hodgson will have too many qualms about restoring his skipper to the starting line-up when the chance arises. For Kane, he will surely need a far better showing in Lithuania next week if he's to avoid being back on the bench for the showpiece friendlies next month.
Barkley and Lallana impress
One man who did enjoy himself was Ross Barkley. In front of a 75,000 crowd, he showed a willingness to entertain but delivered end-product too - providing the delightful assist for Walcott's goal, nutmegging the Estonia defender in the process. "It's that man Barkley really," said Terry Butcher, watching from the Sky Sports studio. "When he gets on the ball, England do look dangerous."
Lallana showed similar levels of flair, popping up in rare pockets of space and fashioning openings for himself when that space didn't exist thanks to his neat footwork. Both he and Barkley are players who have the technique that some suggest Englishmen do not possess. Hodgson's responsibility is to find a way to get the best from them against the best next summer.
Is Milner the solution?
While Lallana and Barkley offered glimpses of class, James Milner was asked to play the holding role. Given their tendency to roam forwards, it didn't afford the Liverpool midfielder much protection and there were times when England looked vulnerable as the centre of the pitch was left vacated. The approach will not be an option against better opposition.
Milner changed clubs in the summer for a chance in the middle but he's not a natural holding midfielder as the position does not make use of his best quality - his energetic running. He lost possession 16 times and it seems Michael Carrick is still the most likely deputy for Jack Wilshere.
Is this good preparation?
England, of course, don't get to choose their opponents but the use of Milner as the lone defensively-minded midfielder was a reminder that there is a limit to what can be learnt from these fixtures.
Hodgson's men have shown that they are effective at seeing off second-rate teams and they boast the only remaining 100-per-cent record in the European Qualifiers. But they'll need to beat the best if they are to be judged as a success next summer. Forthcoming friendlies against Spain, France, Germany and Netherlands offer a very different test.
Counter-attacking team?
But perhaps that need not be the end of England's fine run of results. While there have long been question marks over England's possession game, there is a growing feeling that they have the players for a counter-attacking approach. With Estonia and others defending so deep, that just hasn't been an option during qualifying.
Walcott and Sterling grabbed their goals despite rarely being afforded the space in which to run in behind the Estonia defence. If they can provide that goal threat from those wide positions then England's 4-3-3 really can mean three forwards rather than one.