England 4 - Lithuania 0: Kane scores on Three Lions debut as Hodgson's men cruise to win

HARRY KANE had sat on the bench and looked on as, one by one, his rivals for a place in England’s starting line-up laid down the gauntlet.

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Harry Kane scored on his debut

When he belatedly sauntered onto the pitch, it took him just 79 seconds to pick it up.

The header which squirmed out of the grasp of Lithuania goalkeeper Giedrius Arlauskis and rolled over the line was not quite his first, but rather his third, touch as a senior England international.

It served to continue his remarkable impact in a season he seems intent on making his own, one which left you wondering just who is writing this player’s script?

The beaming smile that has seldom been off his face for Tottenham now lit up Wembley as he slid on his knees in celebration.

It was probably matched only by the grin Roy Hodgson wore. If competition for places is central to every successful side, then the coach can conclude Kane had already played his part in helping shape England’s latest success long before making his debut in the 72nd minute.

Surely it was no coincidence a fifth straight victory en route to Euro 2016 came with those forwards – Wayne Rooney, man of the match Danny Welbeck and Raheem Sterling who will sense Kane breathing down their neck – taking responsibility to plot the course ahead.

Hodgson is keen to alleviate the pressure on Kane, but with Welbeck (knee) and Sterling (toe) now set to miss the game with Italy with injury, he may have no choice but to start him alongside the captain.

It was Rooney who made way for Kane on a night he could – probably should – have drawn level with Sir Bobby Charlton at the top of the country’s scoring charts.

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Harry Kane celebrates his 79-second goal

In settling for one more goal, taking his tally to 47, he is allowing the suspense to build.

This was one of those rare occasions when everything went to plan for England, including an early goal that avoided a limited Lithuania side gleaning confidence and ended with them trampled underfoot.

The romance which has swirled around Kane’s rise is of little consequence to a manager who is too reasoned to be swayed by sentiment and vindication for Hodgson’s team selection was swift.

England sprung from the traps. This was partly due to lessons learned from the qualifier in November when a midfield diamond was disbanded after a goalless opening half against Slovenia and tweaked to 4-3-3, which provided impetus for an ultimately comfortable workout.

The blueprint was repeated here and underpinned by a tenacious approach which saw England snap into tackles, press high up the pitch, pass quickly and move into space. 

For this team it felt like a Eureka moment. The test will be to repeat that approach in Turin on Tuesday against streetwise Italian opponents rather than rivals who melted into the background.

It is only a matter of time before Rooney stares down at his striking predecessors and he would have been sharing the summit before the mid-point in the opening half with a little more luck.

Just four minutes had elapsed when he forged a route between Marius Zaliukas and Lithuania captain Tadas Kijanskas to reach Fabian Delph’s through ball, only to see his shot clip the inside of a post and roll clear.

The respite was brief. Welbeck nutmegged Kijanskas soon after and drove into the penalty area. His shot was straight at Arlauskis, who pushed out the drive – but only to Rooney, who headed home.

Harry Kane Player Profile

A poacher’s finish was his 19th goal in 38 games under Hodgson – a tally which only outstrips Welbeck, who produced a display brimming with intent and invention before claiming the strike he deserved.

He had scooped a cross to Rooney, whose clever header across goal thudded onto the angle of crossbar and post before doubling the lead.

A cross from Jordan Henderson was met by a diving header from Welbeck and although his effort struck the thigh of Kijanskas before hitting the back of the net it was the forward’s goal. One of the other positives for Hodgson was England stuck to the task against tiring opponents.

Welbeck should have had a penalty when the knee of Kijanskas brushed him as he surged beyond the defender, before the scoreline more accurately reflected the host’s dominance.

A low cross from Rooney demanded to be finished and it was Sterling who arrived with perfect timing to plunder his first England goal.

Sterling then supplied the cross for Kane to seize the moment.

The standard had been set and Kane showed he will not shirk the battle.

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