Sturridge scores as England defeats Scotland 3-0

The header defeated Craig Gordon, and Gareth Southgate dropped to one knee and pumped a fist, theatrically. 

Why not? This was a big win, both for England and for him. Southgate will be England's manager now, at least if he wants the job. 

The Football Association did not need much encouragement to offer him the permanent role this winter and three goals against Scotland should more than do it for them. 

True, the scoreline was more convincing than the performance – and if Scotland had taken their chances who knows where we would be on Saturday morning, but English football is in no condition to demand perfection. 

Southgate will face many opponents superior to a Scotland team that went down by the same margin in Slovakia last month, yet everyone knows this fixture can be difficult, no matter the chasm of quality between the teams. 

Southgate's players knew what was at stake for him, and delivered a resounding win. It's far from the corner turned, but it's a start.

There was a basic gulf in class between the two starting XIs and that became evident the longer the match went on. Mostly, it could be found in the finishing. Scotland had excellent chances and missed, England had good chances and scored. 

The minute before the goal that provoked Southgate's celebration – England's second – Robert Snodgrass fluffed a fine opportunity, a close range shot blocked by Gary Cahill. 

All of England's three headed goals were more difficult but each was dispatched with expertise. 

As Southgate delighted, Gordon Strachan, Scotland's manager, placed a tactics sheet over his head. He might as well have done that all week if his team planned on performing like this in front of goal. 

Some thought it harsh to build this up as Southgate's audition, but there can hardly be a manager who would not have taken beating this Scotland starting XI with England's players as his trial. 

Looking at the team sheet, not a single player from the right side of the page would have made the team on the left, or its substitutes bench either. 

Sorry, but it's true. Scottish football is in a dreadful state and not even sweeping changes from the last game – also a 3-0 defeat, in Slovakia – could paper over those cracks.

Just three minutes into the game, Scotland captain Darren Fletcher teed up a shot. He had time, he had space, the ball sat up at a nice height – and he sliced it so badly that had Joe Hart not scampered out to collect, it wouldn't even have reached the six yard box. That set the template for some truly woeful Scotland errors. 

Coincidentally, the first move of the second-half saw Ikechi Anya speed down the right, take a wild swipe at the ball on the run, miss it, and fall over to great amusement from the home support.

Not that they would have been laughing had any of Scotland's other chances gone in, such as the free header presented to Grant Hanley after 27 minutes, which he somehow steered well over the bar, or the breakaway after Rooney gave the ball to Leigh Griffiths three minutes later. 

All he had to do was square to Snodgrass, instead he went alone and finished with the lamest shot, straight at Joe Hart. 

The biggest concern for Southgate, no doubt, will be the sloppy play in England's back four. 

John Stones may be a ball playing defender, but that is faint praise when many of the balls he plays go straight to the opposition. He was caught in possession after four minutes, resulting in another weak shot at Hart, this time by James Forrest. 

England's goalkeeper was never threatened, but should have been. A good team – Spain on Tuesday, maybe – would have made England pay. Scotland couldn't even put together a coherent invoice.

The best move of the match belonged to Scotland, after 33 minutes, a succession of neat, sharp passes that culminated in another loose shot by Fletcher. 

It was much the same after half-time. Wallace cut a good cross back from the left, Griffiths dummied and the ball fell to Forrest who made great space for himself in the box, before screwing his shot wide. 

England went back up the other end minutes later and, given half a sniff, ended the contest. That was the difference, right there. 

Still, this should not diminish the night for Southgate, who was vindicated in his selections, not least the return of Wayne Rooney and the decision to name Daniel Sturridge ahead of Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy. 

It was 23 minutes before Sturridge touched the ball, and 23 minutes when he gave England the lead. Negligible would have been an understatement to describe his contribution in the early part of the game, and even when he did finally get involved it was only to lay the ball off some 45 yards from Scotland's goal, dropping deeper and deeper in search of the play. 

What a difference, then, as the seconds ticked on towards minute 24. It was then that Sturridge arrived where he could do most damage, giving England the breakthrough they desperately needed and bringing Southgate and the rest of his management team to their feet a first time.

Raheem Sterling began the sequence, dribbling 25 yards from goal, looking for a good angle and finding one, before unleashing a fierce shot which cannoned off a pink shirt, falling kindly for Kyle Walker on the right. 

The Tottenham man drove into the box before whipping in a cross with real venom. It was one of those that only needed a touch, and Sturridge was on hand for that, diving to get an edge on his marker and glancing his header past goalkeeper Gordon. 

Given the pace of the delivery it went in like a shot. Gordon, starting his first competitive international since 2009, had no chance. 

England were always the classier team, but it was not reflected in first-half chances. Sterling had a penalty shout when he collided with Lee Wallace after 14 minutes, but there didn't seem much in it. 

Undoubtedly, Snodgrass clipped Danny Rose on the run in the area eight minutes before half-time but, having initially tried to stay on his feet, Rose's decision to then take a tumble looked false and drew only a shake of the head from Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir.

So the game was still close, England still vulnerable when two headers in 11 second-half minutes sealed it. The first came after Sturridge played in the excellent Sterling on the left, and he slipped the ball to Rose on the overlap. He hit a good cross, but Lallana made it look even better, directing his header to give Gordon no chance.

The third was set-piece simplicity. A corner from Rooney headed in by Gary Cahill. From there, England largely played keep ball, the opposition exhausted from their first-half urgency. 

Sterling missed a cracking chance from a Jordan Henderson cross, but it hardly mattered. Scotland were done; and so is the FA's search. It is Southgate's job to accept or reject. The ball is in his court now.  Mail Online

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