ON a night that was all about Remembrance, it was surely only fitting that England delivered a result, if not quite a performance, that will live long in the memory.

With both sets of players defying FIFA’s petty warnings about wearing black armbands bearing the emblem of a poppy, England subjected their oldest of footballing enemies to their heaviest defeat in this fixture since 1975.

Daniel Sturridge’s first-half opener was followed by second-half strikes from Adam Lallana and Gary Cahill as Gareth Southgate’s side cemented their place at the top of their World Cup qualifying group – they remain two points clear of Slovenia, who won in Malta – and simultaneously strengthened their interim manager’s claims on a permanent position.

This was a far from fluent performance, with England toiling badly as Scotland spurned four decent chances within the opening 50 minutes.

However, as the game opened up, so the hosts improved, and their clinical finishing was more than enough to set them apart from their opponents, whose hopes of making the 2018 World Cup in Russia already look to be in tatters.

That England could win so comfortably despite producing such a flawed display speaks volumes for the depths to which Scotland have slipped under Gordon Strachan.

Who would have thought the latest instalment of the oldest rivalry in international football would see two failed Middlesbrough managers lining up against each other? Southgate, the man who took Boro out of the Premier League, against Strachan, the man who squandered millions in a wholly unsuccessful attempt to get them back there.

Strachan started the night with his job on the line in the wake of last month’s failures to beat either Lithuania or Slovakia, and ended it with the bookmakers offering extremely short odds about Alex McLeish replacing him before Scotland’s next outing.

Southgate went into the game hoping to cement his stranglehold on the England manager’s position, with Tuesday’s friendly with Spain due to complete his interim spell. Having done what was asked of him after stepping in to replace Sam Allardyce, he can expect to be leading his side to Russia.

What that side will be capable of in their next major tournament outing is as uncertain as ever though. Results have improved since this summer’s failure in France, but then once qualifying resumes, they always do. Whether England are any better now than they were in the summer is open to debate. Age-old failings undoubtedly remain.

Despite the comfort of the final scoreline, England were jittery for much of the night, conceding possession cheaply, panicking whenever they were pressed and appearing to be flustered by Scotland’s predictably energetic start.

Lallana played his defence into trouble within the opening ten minutes as he attempted to pass out from the back, before John Stones’ errant back-pass had Joe Hart scampering across his goalline.

A refusal to boot the ball long is to be commended, but this doesn’t feel like an English defence that is good enough to be taking liberties. Had England’s players made the same mistakes against a Germany or an Argentina, they would have been three or four down. As it was, with Scotland boasting Hull’s Robert Snodgrass playing off Celtic’s Leigh Griffiths, they got away with their errors.

The same was not true of Newcastle’s Grant Hanley. To be fair to the Magpies centre-half, who missed a glorious headed opportunity before the break, there was a crucial early interception to prevent Wayne Rooney’s attempted through ball reaching Sturridge, but crucially, Hanley was badly out of position as the Liverpool striker broke the deadlock midway through the first half.

England had settled by that stage, with their breakthrough coming at the end of a five-minute spell of concerted pressure. Sturridge has his detractors in an England shirt, but the goal showcased the value of having a penalty-box poacher leading the line.

Raheem Sterling’s shot deflected off Hanley to Kyle Walker on the right-hand side, and Sturridge reacted quickly to find space as the Tottenham full-back shaped to cross. It was still a difficult header, but Sturridge stooped adeptly to guide a powerful finish past former Sunderland goalkeeper Craig Gordon.

Scotland needed an immediate response, but while they were able to fashion two glorious opportunities between Sturridge’s goal and the interval, they were unable to take either.

Hanley wasted the first, heading over from a corner despite being completely unmarked ten yards out. Griffiths spurned the other, opting to shoot tamely at Hart rather than play in the much better-placed Snodgrass after Rooney’s misplaced pass had left the England defence exposed.

Nevertheless, the fact that Scotland were the equal of their opponents spoke volumes for the continued lack of cohesion in England’s play. Eric Dier was wasteful in possession, and Rooney was as frustrating as ever for much of the night, charging here, there and everywhere, but not really adding anything of value wherever he turned up.

As a result, England’s chances were limited. Crucially, though, when they arrived, they were converted.

Scotland had two excellent opportunities at the start of the second half, but Hart wasn’t even forced to make a save. James Forrest dragged a left-footed shot wide after Griffiths’ intelligent dummy created space for him on the edge of the area, before Snodgrass’ shot was blocked by Stones after Lee Wallace’s pull-back teed up the midfielder in the box.

Strachan, never a shrinking violet, was apoplectic on the sidelines, and his mood darkened further when England’s second meaningful opportunity saw them claim a two-goal lead in the 51st minute.

Sterling released Danny Rose on the overlap, and the Tottenham full-back delivered an inviting cross into the heart of the area. The ball appeared to be drifting behind Lallana, but having scored England’s winner in September’s Slovakian success under Allardyce, the Liverpool midfielder produced an excellent angled header to beat Gordon.

Scotland’s defensive frailties had seen them concede three goals to Slovakia in their previous outing, and for all that Strachan’s side displayed signs of promise, their wretched defensive work always looked like being their undoing.

Sure enough, ten minutes after scoring their second goal, England claimed their third with yet another unpressurised header.

Rooney swung over a corner from the left, and having stolen in front of his marker at the front post, Cahill glanced home deftly. It was a neat finish from the Chelsea centre-half, but Scotland’s defence malfunctioned miserably to present him with the opportunity.

England’s second-half attacking was much slicker than anything they produced before the break, and only Sterling will know how he failed to add a fourth goal with 20 minutes left. Jordan Henderson slid in a cross from the right, but Sterling somehow shot over from no more than two yards out.