Kane scores twice as he celebrates his 100th cap

As much as this match rightfully became about Harry Kane, there was something else it resembled as Lee Carsley’s England fluidly worked the ball to the centurion for his 67th and 68th international goals. It was like one of the top Premier League teams patiently moving a Championship side around until the gaps presented themselves.

- MIGUEL DELANEY

England Kane (57, 76) 2

Finland 0

That is intended to be much more positive than it sounds, even if nights like this show – well – the less exhilarating side of the Nations League. International football isn’t all tournament intensity where emotions are pushed to the limits. It is usually this kind of night, especially if you are an elite-level squad relegated to the competition’s second division, as England are.

A limited but respectable side like Finland will dig in and make it difficult for you, potentially making it a long night.

What was so encouraging about a performance as otherwise forgettable as a 2-0 home win, though, was that England never let any of that weigh on them. They never got bogged down. They kept playing, yes, “Carsball”. That’s where we are now.

That’s why it was such a good thing that England looked like a top Premier League side looking to open a lesser outfit. It wasn’t about the toil but how much closer it looked to the progressive football that now dominates the top of the game. There was no drama. They knew what they were about. As Kane himself said: “We know if we kept getting the runners, the goal would come.”

England’s movement was ultimately too much.