Tuchel's England era finally lifts off with five-goal rout

This was the complete performance Three Lions fans had waited for – now anticipation can build to the World Cup

- MIGUEL DELANEY

Serbia 0

England 5

Kane 33, Madueke 35, Konsa 52, Guehi 75, Rashford 90 pen

Thomas Tuchel said he was looking forward to this, and you can now see why. He’s at last given England something to look forward to, and that goes beyond just being at the World Cup next summer.

This 5-0 win over Serbia should make qualification a certainty given that Tuchel’s side are seven points clear of second place with just three games left, but more important was the manner of it. It was, really, a perfect night - right down to three players enjoying their first international goals.

This was what England had been waiting for. This, finally, was Tuchel’s England. They were disciplined in structure and then dynamic in attack, exactly what he has long idealised.

From a confidently controlled display, England repeatedly released attacks that a notionally robust Serbia struggled to deal with. They were so harried that Nikola Milenkovic was forced into a desperate red-card lunge on Harry Kane at 3-0.