Chelsea centre-back Gary Cahill cruised through England's easy 4-0 victory against Lithuania at Wembley tonight.
Goals from Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck, Raheem Stering and debutant Harry Kane sealed an emphatic victory which gave England 15 points in Group E of the Euro 2016 qualifiers and they remain top of the pile.
While the strikers take all the plaudits, Sterling and Kane notching up their first strikes for the Three Lions, Cahill's contribution should not go unrecognised.
Having gone through a spell at club level with his confidence low, Cahill, England's vice captain showed great maturity to Marshall a back four who, while never under sustained pressure, needed to be alert whenever danger called, and he was.
He took the armband off Rooney when the striker was replaced for Kane with 20 minutes left on the clock and the game already won.
England should have been ahead on four mi Utes when a clipped Fabian Delph pass fell invitingly to Wayne Rooney. The England skipper raced into Lithuania's penalty area, outstripping Maruius Zaliukas for pace. But unfortunately, his side-footed right-footer hit goalkeeper Giedrius Ariauskis's left upright and rolled across the goal line before being cleared.
But Rooney would not be denied and three ,injures later, after excellent set up play by Danny Welbeck who forced Ariauskis into a save, but Roonetbsnapped up the rebound and nodded the ball into the back of the visitors' net to put England one up.
That put Rooney on 47 goals for his country, two behind Sir Booby Charlton's record.
Following a short period of Lithuanian pressure, England almost doubled their lead on 18 minutes.
Rooney hit the crossbar with a calm, looping header from eight yards out.
The Manchester United hit man was u lucky with a free kick six minutes from the break but Ariauskis did well to collected the on target curler.
Welbeck was next up to threaten the opposition goal, but the Arsenal man hit the ball over the crossbar.
England claimed a penalty when Delph fell over Zaliukas leg.
But the England fans would not be denied and a minute before the whistle, Jordan Henderson put in a delicate cross, Welbeck took a diving header towards goal. The ball rebounded off the thigh of Tedas Kijanskas and into the back of the net.
That was the last kick of the half.
There was no change of personel at half time. England opened the restart with increased urgency and three minutes in were almost rewarded when Fabian Delph pulled away from his marker and latched onto a great ball by Romney to arrow a left-footed volley towards goal.
Ariauskis pulled off a fine diving save to his left. Welbeck follows his up with a blistering strike which stung the goalkeeper's hands as he
Arrived the ball away from the near post and away for a corner.
With a penalty appeal turned down for Welbeck, England turned the heat up even further and a minute later, on 58 minutes Raheem Sterling notched up his first goal for his country, tucking the ball home off the post from close range after Rooney's inch-perfect right wing cross.
Die yeas Matulevicius tried his luck from 25 yards but his frustrated right-footer sailed high and wide over Joe Harts crossbar.
Spurs' Harry Kane made his senior bow on 70 minutes at the expense of Rooney. Chelsea centre-back Gary Cahill was handed the captain's armband and with his second touch of the ball and two and a half minutes into his England career Kane was at the far post to powerfully head home Sterling's cross. Welbeck then had a shot cleared off the line as England went on the rampage against a shell-shocked Lithuania.
That was his last action and he was replaced by team mater Theo Walcott.
England saw out the remaining minutes easily and now face Italy, on Tuesday in an internationa friendly.
Teams
England, Hart, Clyne, Baines, Henderson, Cahill, Jones, Sterling, Carrick,Welbeck, Rooney,De.ph
Subs, Green, Butland, Smalling, Walcott, Jagielka, Milnerh, Townsend,Kane, Mason, Barkley, Gibbs, Walker
Lithuania, Ariauskis, Freidgeimas, Kijanskas, Zulpa, Matulevicius, Mikoliunas, Chevdukas, Cernych, Andriuskevicius,
Subs, Cerniauskas, Vicius, Vaitkunas, Sirgedas, Kazlauskas, Zubas, Luksa, Beniusis, S.avickas, Panka, Strankevicius, Borovskij,
Referee, Pavel Kralovec (Czech)
Ends