Redeemed for the umpteenth time, vindicated again in the face of another round of questions about his age and his durability, Harry Kane scored two golden goals in golden boots on a night when he was presented with a golden cap.
Kane had become the tenth man to make 100 appearances for England when he started this Nations League victory over Finland at Wembley, an achievement marked by a presentation of the golden cap by fellow centurions Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard before the match.
The England skipper was desperate for a goal to gild the occasion, particularly after some below-par performances in the European Championship in the summer and a sluggish outing against the Republic of Ireland on Saturday had led some to call for him to be dropped.
Those calls were absurd. Kane has been proving critics wrong throughout a long international career bedecked with individual landmarks and he did it again on Tuesday, scoring with two majestic second half finishes to end the Finns’ stubborn resistance.
They were his 67th and 68th goals for his country, a remarkable record by any standards. Kane had said on the eve of the match that he wanted to complement his 100 caps by scoring 100 goals. He is such a relentless scorer, for club and country, it would be foolish to bet against him.
Harry Kane enjoyed reaching 100 England caps as his side cruised to victory against Finland
The 31-year-old was presented with a golden cap by Frank Lampard prior to kick-off
England started brightly and Kane had an early goal ruled out after he was ruled to be offside
This was his night. His 100th appearance and his two goals moved the narrative on from Lee Carsley’s continuing audition as interim England manager. After the furore over Carsley’s decision not to sing the national anthem before Saturday’s game against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin, this was a night for the boss to take a back seat to his captain.
Still, Carsley now has two wins from two matches, admittedly against ordinary opposition. He could not be doing much more to impress. Kane was the star but Trent Alexander-Arnold was outstanding, too. There is still a feeling that Carsley has made a refreshing start.
He is not afraid to do things differently. An hour before kick-off, before Wembley said its emotional farewells to former manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, who died last month, Carsley walked out on to the pitch alone and began to position of row of footballs meticulously in a line on the turf.
Now and again, he checked his watch and then, for a moment, he stood with his arms folded across his chest and stared up at one the big screens as it showed Jack Grealish scoring England’s second goal in the 2-0 win over Ireland in Dublin.
Carsley stood there for some time, arms still folded, looking around the stadium as if began to fill up, watching the goalkeepers going through their warm-up, still alone, waiting for the rest of his England players to emerge from the tunnel.
The presentations to Kane complete, Carsley’s team went about their business methodically and confidently and even though the Finns threatened occasionally, they were never likely to spoil Kane’s night.
Kane should have garnished his 100th cap with a goal inside the first four minutes when Gordon, who was a constant threat in the early stages, turned his full back one way and then the other and floated a cross to the back post where the England skipper was waiting unmarked.
For once, Kane seemed caught in two minds between going for goal and heading the ball across the six-yard box for Bukayo Saka. He chose the unselfish option but his nod down was hacked clear by the Finland defence before it could reach the Arsenal wide man.
The visitors defended resolutely in the early going to keep the game level at the interval
Lee Carsley’s side started to turn up the tempo after coming out for the second half
Kane came close with a spectacular shot but was denied by a good save from Lukas Hradecky
Kane did get a shot away midway through the half but it was smartly saved by Finland keeper Lukas Hradecky. When the ball broke loose, Finland broke swiftly and Topi Keskinen curled a shot just wide.
That was a rare foray forward for England’s opponents. It was practically the only time they had broken out of their own half and, aside from a Kane header that was ruled out for offside, they frustrated Carsley’s side with their massed defence.
Occasional mistakes crept into England’s game. Declan Rice was caught dawdling on the ball deep in his own half and Keskinen wasted a good chance by failing to free Teemu Pukki with a simple pass and then blasting his shot high and wide.
Gomes was quietly impressive in midfield, tidy and neat and sharp in the tackle when England needed to win back possession. The longer the half wore on, the longer it settled into an attritional battle, the more the home side’s threat came from the vision of Trent Alexander-Arnold when he drifted from right-back into midfield.
Four minutes before half-time, Alexander-Arnold turned from creator into the main danger when he took a square pass from Rico Lewis on the edge of the area and drilled a low shot across Hradecky and just beyond the right-hand post.
When Gomes was tripped on the edge of the area on the stroke of the interval, Alexander-Arnold stepped up to take the free-kick and curled the ball round the wall. The crowd waited for the net to bulge but it didn’t.
When Grealish was fouled on the edge of the area soon after half-time, Kane’s eyes lit up and he lashed the free kick past the wall. Hradecky was equal to it, though. He dived to his right and got a strong hand to it to push the ball out before it was hacked clear.
England started to force more chances now, though. A swift passing move freed Gordon on the left and put him clean through on Hradecky. The Newcastle winger tried to smash the ball past the keeper but Hradecky blocked it with his body.
A minute later, Hradecky saved an overhead kick from the England captain but just when it seemed that he might not get the goal he so desperately wanted to mark his century of caps, Kane blasted England ahead.
It was Alexander-Arnold who played the ball in to him as Kane stood with his back to goal on the edge of the Finland area but really the goal was all his own work.
Kane turned and flicked the ball through the legs of Robert Ivanov as Ivanov tried to close him down. Kane ran on to the ball and crashed an unstoppable shot above Hradecky and in off the underside of the bar.
Kane wheeled away in delight, punching the air, surrounded by teammates. Up in the stands, his family celebrated joyfully. On the touchline, Carsley clenched his fist with delight. Kane had his goal and the deadlock had been broken.
The Bayern Munich star finally got his goal on 56 minutes, striking home from inside the box
He then added a second to his tally after a deft delivery from debutant Noni Madueke
Lee Carsley faced scrutiny after again refusing to sing the national anthem before the game
England should have gone further ahead almost immediately. Another brilliant ball from Alexander-Arnold found substitute Eberechi Eze bursting in behind the Finland defence but when he tried to flick the ball past Hradecky, the goalkeeper stood up well and pushed it away.
It took Kane to provide another lesson in finishing. This time, 14 minutes from the end, it was Noni Madueke who was the provider, playing a clever first-time ball into the England skipper as he loitered 12 yards out.
Kane took the ball and did not hesitate. He used the pace of the ball to sweep it across Hradecky and into the far corner. All those absurd doubts about his place in the team were swept away, too.