England secured their place at the 2026 World Cup in emphatic fashion with a dominant 5-0 victory over Latvia in Riga. Anthony Gordon's opening goal and a brace from captain Harry Kane set the Three Lions on their way, with an own goal and a late strike from Eberechi Eze completing the rout. The win ensured England will finish top of Group K with two matches to spare.

Player Ratings:

Jordan Pickford - 7: Dealt with everything adequately, although tested more than he might have expected late in the game. Kept his ninth successive clean sheet.

Djed Spence - 7: Looked confident and assured on his return to right-back, impressing with his drive and pace down the flank. His cross led to an own goal.

Ezri Konsa - 7: Continued to establish himself on the international scene with his outstanding distribution. Made a superb tackle to deny Latvia a late goal.

John Stones - 7: Provided experience at the back and contributed at both ends, notching an assist.

Myles Lewis-Skelly - 7: Another player who will be pleased with his night's work.

Declan Rice - 7: Whipped in some sublime set-piece deliveries.

Elliot Anderson - 7: Crucial in England's dominance of the game.

Bukayo Saka - 7: Looked dangerous and switched on from the start, helping to win the ball back for Kane's goal and getting the assist for it.

Morgan Rogers - 6:

Anthony Gordon - 8: Opened the scoring with a fine finish, cutting in from the left and sweeping the ball into the bottom corner.

Harry Kane - 8: Continued his remarkable goalscoring form with two goals, taking his international tally to 76. His goals included a penalty and a fine left-footed strike. Became England's record holder for scoring more than once in the most international matches, with 13.

Substitutes:

Dan Burn - N/A: Replaced Stones in the 70th minute.

Eberechi Eze - 7: Wrapped up the win with a well-taken fifth goal.

Match Summary:

England dominated the match from the outset, with Anthony Gordon breaking the deadlock in the 26th minute after latching onto a defence-splitting pass from John Stones. Kane then doubled the lead before half-time with a drilled shot from the edge of the box before converting a penalty in first-half stoppage time.

The second half continued in the same vein, with Maksims Tonisevs turning Djed Spence's cross into his own net. Substitute Eberechi Eze completed the scoring with a well-placed shot late on.

The victory means England have qualified for their eighth successive World Cup. With qualification secured, coach Thomas Tuchel may use the remaining fixtures to experiment with the team.