Declan Rice, who played three times for the Republic of Ireland as a teenager, was jeered by the home fans in the sold-out stadium for his switch of ends.

He silenced them with the goal that put the visitors ahead and then provided the assist for Grealish, himself a former Republic of Ireland youth player, to make it 2-0.

Rice came further forward than ever before at a European Championship and Kobbie Mainoo also seemed optimistic.

England’s game seemed to gain a new freedom after too often relying on two defensive midfielders in the summer.

Meanwhile, Trent Alexander-Arnold – starting as England’s right-back for the first time in almost four years – created two wonderful chances for Kane and Gordon.

“The positions were fluid, Trent Alexander-Arnold moved into midfield, Kobbie Mainoo burst forward and Declan Rice also scored the first goal,” Robinson added.

“We saw a lot more forward thinking. The first thought was to move forward.

“England’s performance was probably exactly what Lee Carsley would have dreamed of last night. He would have wanted his team to be in control, play at a high tempo, apply a lot of pressure, keep a clean sheet, score a few goals and be good in possession.

“It couldn’t have gone better.”

Grealish’s return was also positive after he was surprisingly left out of Southgate’s summer squad, with the midfielder describing this summer as “one of the worst summers of my life”.

England really seemed to have their game under control, which was perfectly reflected in Jordan Pickford’s willingness to play out from the back.

At Euro 2024, the England goalkeeper too often played long, aimless balls, with 49% of his passes being long. On Saturday, only 18.5% were long passes, allowing the Three Lions to keep possession.